I Can't Be a Huntsman!
by King of Plot Bunnies
Summary: All Kyousuke wanted was a normal life. But with an overly-aggressive childhood friend, her socially awkward little sister and his own eroge-obsessed sibling, a normal life doesn't seem likely. Throw in a world of monsters and magic? "I just want a normal life!" Yeah. Not happening, Kyousuke. Will most likely be KyousukexMulti. Kinda AU, but not really.
1. Chapter 1

_"Eh, going home again, Kousaka?"_

_"What do you expect? He's in the 'Going-Home Club',"_

_"But it's the last day of school! He could at least stick around with his classmates for a while!"_

Kyousuke ignored his fellow students in favor of packing up his bag. He did twitch, however, at the mention of _her_.

_"He's nothing like his sister."_

_"Kirino? Isn't she some kind of prodigy or something?"_

Kirino Kousaka; his bratty, genius little sister. Whether it's grades, looks or combat ability, Kirino had it all. Apparently, she was also working part-time as a model.

_"I heard she's being skipped ahead two years."_

_"Really? That'd make her our classmate, wouldn't it?"_

_"Are you daft? She's not going to a public school like we are. She's going to Beacon Academy!"_

_"No way! She's going to be a Huntress?!"_

Of course he'd known that as well. Not that _she _had bothered to tell him. But he'd known regardless. It almost seemed predestined. His perfect little sister, Kirino, was the shining star of Signal Academy. How could she _not_ become a Huntress?

_"Being outshined by his little sister… How sad."_

Like he cared. If Kirino wanted to bask in the limelight, then good for her. Just leave him out of it. All he wanted was a normal life with his friends. He'd marry a nice, normal girl and get a normal desk job. He had no need for fame or glory.

Now, he realized that this may seem boring to some, but he enjoyed it. He didn't care if he was a disgrace to his family or not. His father, Daisuke, was the famous captain of the Vale Police Force. He was responsible for the capture of over a hundred notorious criminals. And on the other side, his mother, Yoshino, was a famed researcher of Dust and its properties.

That left him as the black sheep of his family. His father and sister mostly ignored him, like an annoying fly they couldn't get rid of. At least his mother still cared for him, but she was busy with her research and didn't come home often.

_"How does he live with himself? His family must be ashamed."_

Kyousuke merely sighed and slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Oi!" a female voice growled. "Back off!"

_"Shit, it's the Dragon!"_

"Don't call me Dragon!" the girl snapped, causing the peanut gallery to scamper off in panic. "Honestly…" she muttered before turning to him with a frown on her face. "You shouldn't put up with that, Kyo."

"Just ignore them, Yang." The boy sighed with a bemused smile on his face.

"But they don't know what happened!" she argued. "Ever since Manami-"

"Yang," Kyousuke said stiffly, causing his childhood friend to flinch slightly. "Please. Just… don't."

"Right," the blonde murmured. "Sorry." She coughed slightly in an attempt to break the awkward silence that had fallen between them. "Sooo… You're coming to the graduation party tonight, right?"

"Do I have a choice?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Nope!" the girl gave him a grin before grabbing him in a headlock. Kyousuke suddenly found his face wedged against two _very _soft objects.

Now, you have to understand. Yang wasn't just any girl. She was the 'Dragon' of Signal Academy. One of the strongest fighters the school had ever seen. And if that wasn't enough, she also happened to be one of the most beautiful girls in the school; with curves that would leave any man drooling.

So, needless to say, Kyousuke was being subject to several hateful stares for his current predicament.

"Y-Yang…!" the boy cried, though his voice was muffled by the girl's school blazer.

"You can only be a loner for so long before the Great Yang drags you back into the fold!" the blonde bombshell cackled. Finally, she released him, giving the poor boy a chance to breathe once again.

"W-Whatever you say, Yang…" Kyousuke muttered, still breathless.

"Seriously, though," the girl said, her voice losing its cheerfulness. "We only have a few weeks before I have to leave. Beacon is a boarding school, so I won't be able to check up on you as often as before."

"I know," he replied quietly, as the two finally began the long trek back home.

"Aw…" Yang's voice suddenly regained its usual playfulness. "Will you _miiiiisssss _me? All you have to do is take Beacon's enrollment test and we can be together for four more years."

The boy scoffed. "Please, I _relish _the chance to get away from your nagging for the next four years," he said, wincing as she punched him in the shoulder in retaliation. "But you know that even if I _wanted _to, I don't have the credentials to enroll."

"Who _cares _about credentials?" Yang demanded, crossing her arms. Kyousuke deliberately ignored the way it emphasized her chest. "All that matters is that you have the right skills to enroll. And I know you've got them."

"Yang-"

"No, Kyo," the girl suddenly snapped. "Three years ago, you could take me on in a fight any day of the week. What happened to you? What happened to the boy who dreamed of fun and adventure?" She looked like she wanted to say more, but held off for whatever reason.

"He died that night three years ago, Yang," Kyousuke said tiredly. The girl flinched as they reached a crossroad. They would be splitting up here.

"Kyo…"

"Well, I'll see you."

"You'll be at the party, right?" She raised her fist threateningly at his retreating back.

He simply made a noncommittal gesture and walked off. Yang waited until he had rounded the corner before making a sharp turn and slamming her fist into a nearby tree.

She watched in satisfaction as a large hole was carved straight through. "That damn idiot," she muttered.

* * *

"I'm home," Kyousuke said monotonously as he entered the large house his family lived in. There was no reply, but he hadn't been expecting one.

He silently slipped his shoes off and entered the living room. To his surprise, his sister was already there, spread across the couch with a scroll in her lap as she conversed with someone on the screen.

"I know, right? Haha!" the girl giggled at the device. "He seriously said that?! Haha!"

"You're home before me?" Kyousuke asked in mild surprise. "Don't you have practice or something?"

She didn't even spare him a glance, instead continued laughing with whoever was on the other end of her call.

Kyousuke's eyebrow twitched but otherwise, he didn't react. He took a breath and made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of his favorite barley tea.

After several gulps, he placed the glass in the sink to be washed later. He took one last glance at Kirino before rolling his eyes and making his way to his room upstairs.

He was half-way up the stairway when he realized, '_'Ugh… I forgot to put the tea away… It's too troublesome to go all the way back down… but... it's my favorite...'_

With a great, heaving sigh, he turned around and made his way back to the living room. He reached for the doorknob, only to have the door swing open.

He barely made out Kirino's surprised face before she crashed right into him, her handbag and its contents spilling all over the ground.

"Ah," he murmured, crouching down to help pick her things up. "Sorry."

He was shocked, however, when she suddenly slapped his hand away. "Don't," she said, her voice ice cold. "It's fine. I'll do it myself."

Kyousuke just watched as she quickly gathered her belongings and stood. "I'm going to my room. Don't bother me." And with that, she raced up the stairs and into her room, slamming the door behind her.

"Wow, has our relationship really degraded this far?" Usually, she would at least act _somewhat _civil around him. This time, she was downright _hostile _towards him.

Shaking his head in bemusement, he reached for the door again, only for something bright to catch his eye. He turned to see a small pink DVD case under the coat rack.

Curious, he picked it up. On the cover was a cutesy anime character holding a huge staff, with black eyes and pink hair. What made one of Kyousuke's eyebrows arch was the outfit that the girl was wearing. She was a wearing an extremely explicit swimsuit-like armor.

There was only one thing to say in this situation.

"What the actual fuck?" Kyousuke exclaimed. He quickly scanned the box's title. "Stardust Witch Meruru: Limited First Edition."

Now, he was no stranger to anime. He couldn't exactly be described as an otaku, but he knew what was hot with today's youth and _Stardust Witch Meruru _certainly wasn't what he would call 'mainstream'.

Kyousuke opened the box and his eyes nearly bugged out when he saw that the disk did_ not_ match the box.

"Love Little Sisters 2…" he repeated the title several times to ensure that his eyes were not deceiving him. "Rated MA18+"

He quickly ran possible owners through his head. Mom? She was too busy to bother with something like this, so she was out. Dad? He _despised _anything otaku related, so he was out. And it sure as hell wasn't _his_. So, that left only one person.

Kirino?

Kyousuke's mind nearly blue-screened, but that was the only logical answer.

'_It must have fallen out of her bag, which was why she was so hostile when I tried to help her.'_

Part of him was happy that she wasn't angry with him or anything while another part of him was still trying to come to grips with the realization that his perfect little sister, Kirino, was playing porno games involving little sisters.

So shocked was he, that his body moved on auto-pilot as he returned the barley tea to the refrigerator and made his way up to his room. It was only when he closed the door behind him that he realized that the DVD case was still in his hand.

"Crap…!" Kyousuke muttered. "What do I do with this?"

He couldn't just return it to Kirino. He could picture it now…

"_Hey, Kirino, you dropped your __**little sister porn**__ out in the hallway. Here ya go!"_

Yeah. _That _would turn out well. Kyousuke had seen her destroy a test dummy in combat training. He did _not _want to be on the receiving end of her wrath.

No, he could not return it to her.

"I can't just leave it in here either," he muttered. "Who knows what Mom will say if she finds it. And God have mercy should Dad find it…"

Maybe he could have Yang burn it? No, she would never let him live it down.

"Wait, what the hell am I doing?" Kyousuke sighed. "I'll just put it back where I found it."

He turned sharply on his heel and began making his way downstairs. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he saw Kirino on the ground, her butt high in the air as she searched for something. Kyousuke quickly hid the box behind his back as she turned towards him.

"Ah… W-What the hell were you staring at, pervert?!"

"Like hell!" he snapped. "What the hell are you doing, anyway?"

"T-That's none of your business!" Kirino growled, just as the front door swung open.

"We're home~!" their mother called out, still wearing her white lab coat. "Oh!"

Kyousuke paled as he spotted his father standing behind her, dressed in full police regalia. "M-Mom? Dad?"

"Looks like everyone's home for once," Daisuke nodded. "Good. It'll be nice to have a family dinner once in a while."

"I'll get started~!" Yoshino said eagerly. "But first, come give your mother a hug, you two!"

"A-Ahaha…" Kyousuke stuttered nervously, still hiding the DVD case behind his back. "M-Mom, don't you think we're a little old for that…?"

"Kyousuke," their father said sternly. "You haven't seen your mother in weeks. Give her a hug."

"Y-Yes, sir…" he muttered as he reluctantly walked into his mother's arms. Kirino's eyes fell to the DVD case still hidden behind his back. Her eyes widened and she began sputtering indignantly.

"Kirino?" their mother called, reaching out to her. "Come give me a hug~!"

"Y-Yes, mother," she said, glaring at Kyousuke murderously. The boy flinched.

Once Yoshino had her fill of affection, she released them. "Well, I'll get started on dinner. Kirino, would you like to help?"

"Alright, mother," the brown-haired girl nodded before turning to Kyousuke with a look that clearly said, '_This isn't over.'_

Kyousuke just groaned.

* * *

"Kyousuke, have you decided which school you're going to apply to?" Daisuke questioned as the small family sat through dinner. The TV could be heard in the background, going on about recent happenings in the city.

"Yeah," the boy nodded. "I've been thinking about Flicker Academy. They don't have many requirements, so I should get in without any problems."

His father frowned but nodded regardless. Kirino simply threw him a disgusted look before turning to the TV once again.

"_In other news, the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick has been spotted in the area_," the news anchor said, drawing all their attention. _"Be advised. Torchwick is listed as armed and highly dangerous."_

The anchor's image was replaced by a video clip of Daisuke earlier today. '_The Vale Police Department advises all citizens to be on alert. Do not approach Torchwick. If spotted, the police should be called immediately."_

"Roman Torchwick?" Yoshino asked, concerned. "The international criminal?"

"Yes," Daisuke scowled. "And if that isn't enough, there are reports that recently, he's been dealing with the White Fang."

The White Fang was a group that advocated equality between humans and faunus; people with animal-like characteristics. Although legally, humans and faunus were already equal, the faunus were still treated as inferior by many humans.

Though once a peaceful group, the White Fang experienced a change in leadership approximately five years ago and begun committing acts of terror against several prominent Dust companies for their supposed ill treatment of their faunus laborers.

"And if they're involved, things could get messy," their father continued, crossing his arms. "But we'll catch him _and_ his White Fang cohorts."

Kyousuke wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'm done," he said, standing up with his plate. "I need to go get ready for the graduation party. Yang will be waiting for me tomorrow with the beating of a lifetime if I don't show up."

"My, my, Kyousuke," his mother said slyly. "If you want to go spend time with your girlfriend, you don't have to lie."

"First of all, I'm not lying," he said wearily. "And second of all, she's not my girlfriend."

"Oh, but it's only a matter of time," she winked at him. "Trust me. Moms know these things."

"Whatever you say, Mom," Kyousuke said, rolling his eyes. "I'll probably stop by a convenience store on my way home. Do you need anything?"

"No, but we've been running low on Dust cartridges," Yoshino replied. "Could you stop by a Dust shop and pick some up? The one on Farbe Street should still be open. I'll lend you some money."

"Sure," he nodded before placing his plate in the sink and making his way to his room upstairs.

Kyousuke had barely closed the door behind him when he heard footfalls thundering up the stairs. An instant later his door flew open and Kirino stormed in.

"Give. It." she growled.

"Hmm?" he questioned, a smirk forming on his face. "What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" Kirino snapped.

"Oh, you mean _this_?" Kyousuke reached into his desk drawer and pulled out the _Meruru _box.

"Give it to me!" She lunged at him, but he quickly raised it high over his head.

"So it _was _yours!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!" She said as she attempted to snatch it from his hand. "I-I'd never watch that anime!"

"Your mouth says one thing but your body says another!" Kyousuke smirked as he ducked under another one of her lunges. "If this isn't yours, then why do you want it?"

"That's-" She stopped, her hand balled into a tight fist. "I-I was…"

Kyousuke raised an eyebrow as she seemed to struggle finding the correct words. Finally, when he saw tears beginning to form in her eyes, he sighed and shoved the DVD into her hands.

"Here."

"H-Huh?" she sniffed, eyeing the box in confusion.

"Just make sure Dad doesn't find out about it, or he'll go ballistic," Kyousuke said, shooing her out of the room. "Come on, now. I need to get dressed."

"I-It's not mine!" Kirino snapped.

"Then throw it away for me, would you?" he sighed. "Seriously though. Get out. I need to get ready."

"I… sure… I guess I could do that…" she whispered. She turned and made to leave, but suddenly stopped. "D-Do you think it's… weird?"

"Huh?"

"I-I said, if - _IF _this was mine… would you think I was weird?"

Kyousuke stared at her for several moments before sighing. "No, I wouldn't," he said. "You like what you like. Who am I to judge you?"

"...Really?"

"What do you want from me?" he demanded. "A poem? I won't judge you or your hobbies. Now get out. If I'm late, Yang will kill me."

Strangely enough, at the mention of Yang's name, Kirino's entire body went stiff. "Fine!" she suddenly snapped. "Go and see your girlfriend. Like I care!"

Kyousuke watched in mild shock as she stormed out, slamming the door shut as she did.

"...What the hell is _her _problem?"

* * *

Kyousuke scowled heavily as he walked down the dimly lit street. He glanced at his watch to find that it was well past midnight.

"This is the last time I _ever _go partying with Yang," he muttered to himself. Despite there being no alcohol to speak of at the party, the blonde had _still _managed to get heavily intoxicated. How? He had no idea.

He'd been forced to carry her home after she had passed out in the middle of the dance floor. It had all come to a head in an embarrassing incident, in which Yang's father had walked in on him laying her to bed. It wouldn't have been so bad if Yang - in her drunken stupor - hadn't been attempting to kiss him. After several terrifying minutes in which there was a great deal of shouting and pleading, Kyousuke began making his way home.

"Ah, damn," Kyousuke muttered, suddenly remembering his mother's request. "Are Dust shops even open this late?"

Eventually, he made his way to Farbe Street, where his mother said a shop would be open and to her credit, she'd been correct.

Thankful that he wouldn't have to go around town searching, Kyousuke entered the shop, _'From Dust Till Dawn'_. He nodded at the shopkeeper before heading towards the merchandise. Strolling through the aisles, the black-haired boy began examining the mystic material.

Dust was an energy propellant, and acted as a power source for everything from day-to-day appliances to machines of war. There were many different types, with properties such as electricity, fire or ice. The more poetic often called it 'Nature's Wrath' due to its key role in the rise of human civilization.

Kyousuke quickly found the type he was looking for and began piling them into the shopping bag his mother had given him. Once he had the desired amount, he made his way to the cashier, only to freeze as several men began storming into the shop with guns drawn.

Most of them wore dark black suits and wore red sunglasses, despite the time of day. But the lead man had a familiar face that Kyousuke had seen earlier this evening.

"Roman Torchwick…" he muttered. The red-haired man turned after hearing his name called.

"Oh, so you've heard of me?" Roman asked with a smirk. The man had bright red hair and green eyes. He wore a pure white business suit and a black bowler hat. Hanging from his lip was a large cigar and in his hands was a long cane.

"Who hasn't?" Kyousuke replied, raising his hands submissively as one of the henchmen pointed a gun at his head. "Being all over the news doesn't exactly help with your anonymity."

"Ooh, aren't we clever?" the man said, giving a mock round of applause. He chuckled before gesturing at his goons. "Grab the crystals."

The men in black began spreading throughout the shop, grabbing whatever they could. Kyousuke heard one of the men demand that someone raise their arms.

'_Damn,_' Kyousuke thought. _' Someone else is getting caught up in this?'_

"Are you… robbing me?" a voice that was _very _familiar to him asked. Kyousuke's eyes widened. '_It can't be…!'_

He felt his panic spike as one of the henchmen was sent flying across the room. Roman glanced at the unconscious goon before nodding at the man currently pointing a gun at Kyousuke's head. The man nodded back and ran to go take care of the problem.

The black-haired boy ducked as the man and a large red blur went flying out the store window with a loud _crash_. His head snapping up, Kyousuke gazed out the now-shattered window to see a girl with red hair so dark, it was almost black.

Her outfit consisted of a one-piece dress of various shades of red and black as well as a pair of thick combat boots. However, her most prominent article of clothing was a bright red cloak wrapped around her shoulders. The girl smirked as she hefted an enormous scythe over her shoulder.

"Ruby?!" Kyousuke shouted, his fears confirmed.

"Big Bro?" the girl replied, just as shocked as he was.

Ruby Rose was Yang's younger half-sister. She was in Kirino's class, two years beneath him. Like his own little sister, Ruby was also considered to be a child prodigy, with her combat skills surpassing even Kirino's.

But unlike Kirino, Ruby was a social dunce. 'Awkward' was the only way to describe her. As a result, she didn't have many friends and usually spent her time either training or following Yang around. Kyousuke's own relationship to her was somewhat similar to her relationship with Yang. He was one of the few people she could call a friend. Hell, Kyousuke considered Ruby a better little sister than his own _blood _sister.

And so, he could only watch with dread as his surrogate little sister began taking on a group of armed terrorists.

"Ruby, what are you doing?!" Kyousuke hissed, hopping through the broken window and marching over to her. She glared at him, though it was more of a pout.

"I can't just stand back and do nothing!" Ruby said defensively. He responded with a swift flick to the forehead. "Ow!" She glared up at him with tears in her eyes, rubbing the spot gingerly.

"Well, this is certainly cute," Roman drawled, a single eyebrow raised. He glanced at his goons with a look that said, _'What are you waiting for?'_ "Get them."

The men rushed through the broken windows and began sprinting towards them, weapons raised.

"Just stay back, Bro," Ruby grinned. "Crescent Rose and I will deal with them."

"Ruby, stop!" he shouted, but was duly ignored. "These people are terrorists!"

He knew full well that Ruby was capable of handling herself. But if she got hurt, Yang would never forgive him.

Hell, he would never forgive _himself_.

"Damn it…" Kyousuke muttered as he watched the small girl taking on an entire mob of criminals. It was just like that night three years ago…

"Damn it…" Memories began surfacing in his mind. Flashes of light. Screaming. Blood.

"Damn it…!" Anger. Fear. Self-loathing.

"_Damn it!_" Yang. Ruby. Manami...

"_**DAMN IT!**_"

Ruby flinched as she heard a voice suddenly shout from a few inches away. She turned, eyes wide to see Kyousuke standing beside her, blocking a strike from behind with…

The most gorgeous blade she'd ever laid eyes on. It was primarily silver in color, with a bright red paint running along the edge. On the flat of the blade, she could barely make out an inscription.

_Invoke My Name - I am Spark_

Kyousuke's hands were currently wrapped around a black hilt with one finger resting on what appeared to be… a trigger?

"B-Bro…?" Ruby breathed, staring at the weapon in awe. Kyousuke grunted and violently kicked his opponent away from him. The black-haired boy glared with angry eyes at the men now attempting to surround them.

His grip on his blade tightened. It had been three years since he'd wielded it in combat. And despite the time away from it, it still felt so _right_. Like it _belonged _with him. And he hated it; how right it felt in his hand.

He took a deep, calming breath. "Ruby," Kyousuke said after a while.

"Y-Yes?" the girl squeaked. She'd been so busy making googly eyes at his weapon that she'd lost focus on the battle entirely.

"It's been a while, so I'm trusting you to watch my back." He smiled at her. She flushed red.

"Y-Yes!" Ruby exclaimed. "Of course!"

Kyousuke spun his blade in a small arc before dashing forward. A blur of red in his peripheral vision told him that Ruby had done the same. He almost scoffed when one of the men attempted to intercept him with a metal pole.

The look of shock on the man's face when it got sliced in half was absolutely priceless. A quick roundhouse to the temple sent the man tumbling to the ground.

"Bro!" Ruby's voice shouted as she quickly intercepted a slash from his flank.

'_Sloppy,'_ He heard Yang's voice echo in his head.

Kyousuke nodded at her swiftly before shifting his weapon. Ruby watched as the sword transformed into an submachine gun before her eyes.

The man's eyes widened as Kyousuke leveled the gun at his chest.

_BANG!_

The man was sent flying back into a trashcan. Luckily for him, his aura had protected him from the brunt of the shot. Still, he wouldn't be getting back up any time soon.

Roman stepped out onto the sidewalk, glancing down at the man. "You were worth every cent, truly." He said this with a look of disgust. "Well, kiddos. I think we can all agree that it's been an eventful evening."

He threw his cigar onto the ground and used his cane to stamp out the remaining embers.

"And as much as I'd like to stick around…" He raised the cane, revealing the barrel of a gun. "I'm afraid _this _is where we part ways."

"Shit," Kyousuke grunted. He and Ruby immediately leapt to the side as a small Dust flare was fired from the man's cane.

An enormous explosion wracked the street and sent the two teens flying into a nearby apartment building. Police sirens could be heard blaring in the distance.

Kyousuke glanced up to see that Roman had disappeared in the chaos.

"He's up there!" Ruby exclaimed, pointing across the street. The black-haired boy looked up to see the criminal swiftly climbing up a fire escape. "We have to go after him!"

"Ruby, wait!" Kyousuke shouted, but was once again ignored as Ruby dashed across the street towards the ladder. "Ugh, stubborn girl!"

He quickly chased after her and the two made their way up the fire escape. Ruby jumped up the final few steps and extended Crescent Rose.

"Stop right there!" the girl shouted as Kyousuke pulled himself up to join her.

Roman heaved an irritated sign. "Persistent, aren't you?"

Suddenly, a loud roaring noise caused the two teens to cover their ears as a Dust-powered helicopter known as a 'Bullhead' took off from the alleyway beneath them. The enormous machine began creating a downward draft that nearly sent them flying over the edge.

Kyousuke looked up to see Roman jump into the helicopter. He turned to face them with a grin on his face. "End of the line, kiddos!" He shouted over the copter's engine and tossed a red Dust crystal at their feet.

The black-haired boy's eyes widened. "Ruby, watch out!" he roared, but she couldn't hear him over the roaring wind. Kyousuke grit his teeth and tackled her to the ground, shielding her with his body. He closed his eyes and waited.

Roman let out a gleeful whoop as he watched the roof explode. His laughter died, however, when he saw a purple Dust shield where his targets had just been standing.

Kyousuke waited for what seemed like an eternity, but the blast never came. Cautiously, he opened his eyes and looked up in shock to see a tall, blonde-haired woman standing over them. In her hand was a riding crop, which was currently deploying a large Dust shield.

"Hmph," the woman scoffed, staring at the red-haired man coldly.

"A… Huntress?" Kyousuke muttered.

"Umm… B-Bro…?" Ruby said quietly. "C-Could you get off?"

The boy glanced down at their rather embarrassing position and leapt off of her with a startled yelp.

"S-Sorry!" he exclaimed, scratching the back of his head. Ruby simply nodded, her entire face flushed red. The two simply stared at each other, an awkward silence filling the air.

"Ahem," the blonde woman coughed, breaking them out of their daze.

"R-Right!" Kyousuke muttered, drawing his sword once again. Ruby did the same with her Crescent Rose.

Satisfied that they were no longer distracted, the woman turned her attention to the man in the helicopter. Her eyes narrowed and she flicked her wrist, sending bolts of purple energy flying into the vehicle.

The Bullhead rocked from the impact, sending Roman stumbling back. He quickly grabbed hold of the door and entered the cockpit.

"We've got a Huntress!" he shouted to the dark-haired woman piloting the vehicle. She nodded and left the cockpit, handing the controls to Roman as she did so.

Back on the roof, the blonde Huntress narrowed her eyes and raised her riding crop. With a flick of her wrist, storm clouds began appearing in the sky above. From the clouds, icicles began falling, piercing the hull of the aircraft.

Inside the helicopter, a dark silhouette stepped into view. Kyousuke was unable to make out her face in the shadows, but he could clearly see her hands igniting as she gathered fire-based Dust in her hands.

"Ruby, fall back!" Kyousuke shouted over the wind. "We'll just get in the way!"

"But, we have to help!" she yelled back.

"Then help me provide covering fire!" She nodded and the two teens fell back, just as a fireball came hurtling down from the aircraft. The Huntress blocked the attack with a shield, but her eyes widened as she saw the ground beneath her glowing.

Flipping backwards, she managed to escape injury and looked up to see the helicopter being pelted with bullets. She glanced behind her to see the two teenagers taking cover behind an air conditioning unit while firing their respective weapons.

Glad that they at least had enough sense to stay out of her way, she returned her attention to the aircraft above her. Raising her weapon, she began gathering the shattered pieces of concrete the prior explosion had created.

Once a sufficient amount had been gathered, she used the rubble to form a lance and hurled it at the aircraft. The woman in the helicopter quickly destroyed it with a blast of fire.

Kyousuke and Ruby could only watch the ensuing duel in awe. _This _was what Hunters did on a daily basis.

'_This is what Kirino will be learning to do,' _the boy thought numbly. He vaguely registered Ruby shifting Crescent Rose back into its sniper rifle mode and begin firing at the woman. Almost robotically, he did the same with his weapon. Not that it helped much. The woman was swatting the bullets away like flies.

Finally, after one last explosion, the aircraft seemed ready for takeoff. With a loud _boom _the Bullhead took off into the night sky, leaving the two teens alone with the blonde Huntress.

Kyousuke flinched as the woman turned to stare at them coldly. He could hear police sirens rapidly approaching their location.

"Hey, Ruby," he muttered when the woman began approaching them. "I _really _think we should leave now."

But it seemed that Ruby had other ideas. She quickly rushed toward the woman and held out a small notebook.

"You're a Huntress?! Can I have your autograph?"

"**This is the police!" **a voice could be heard over a megaphone. **"We have the building surrounded! Come out with your hands up!"**

Kyousuke facepalmed. Hard. There was only one thing he could say in a situation like this.

"Fuck my life..."

* * *

"Of all the boneheaded, irresponsible things I've ever witnessed, this takes the cake!" the blonde woman said sternly as she paced around the interrogation room at the Vale City Police Department. "I hope you two realize that your actions will _not _be taken lightly."

Kyousuke flinched, seeing his father glaring at him from the corner of the room.

"You endangered not only yourselves, but innocent bystanders while you were busy playing hero," Daisuke growled. "Do you have anything you'd like to say, Kyousuke?"

The black-haired boy merely sighed, shaking his head with a quiet, "No, sir…"

Ruby immediately protested. "It was my idea, Mr. Kousaka!" she exclaimed. "Kyousuke was just trying to protect me!"

"While that is certainly _gallant _of him," the blonde said coolly. "It's still no excuse. If it were up to me or Captain Kousaka, you'd be sent home with a pat on the back-" Ruby perked up at this. "And a slap on the wrist!" The girl flinched as the woman slammed the table with her riding crop.

"Fortunately for you two," Daisuke continued. "There's someone here that thinks otherwise."

The door opened and a middle-aged man with gray hair and brown eyes walked in. He had a slightly crooked nose, on which a pair of teashades sat. He wore a smart black suit and a dark-green scarf. In one hand was a tray of cookies and in the other was a tray with two glasses of milk.

"Ruby Rose," he said in way of introduction. He placed the two trays in front of them and leaned in towards Ruby. "Hmm… You have silver eyes…"

"U-Um…" the girl stuttered, slightly weirded out.

"And," the man continued, turning his gaze towards the boy beside her. "Kyousuke Kousaka. Son of our very own Captain Kousaka, correct?"

"Y-Yes, sir…" Kyousuke muttered. He cleared his throat. "May I ask who you are?"

The man blinked, while the blonde woman began sputtering indignantly. In the corner of his eye, Kyousuke could see his father facepalm.

"B-Bro…!" Ruby whisper-yelled. "That's Professor Ozpin, the headmaster at Beacon Academy!"

"E-EH?!" Really? He had no idea!

Suddenly, the man let out a great laugh, as though this entire situation amused him greatly. Which, it probably did.

"Oh, I certainly needed that," the man sighed, rubbing a tear from his eye. "Yes, I'm headmaster at Beacon. Nice to meet you, Mr. Kousaka, Miss Rose."

"Nice to meet you, Professor!" Ruby exclaimed energetically, while Kyousuke merely nodded at him.

"So," Ozpin continued, gesturing at a scroll, which was currently showing replays of Ruby in combat with the henchmen. "Miss Rose. Where did you learn how to do _this_?"

"Signal Academy…?" Ruby replied uncertainly.

"_They_ taught you how to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever _designed_?" Ozpin repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, one teacher in particular." She corrected herself.

"I see…" the man gestured towards the tray of cookies. "Please, help yourself."

Ruby glanced at Kyousuke, who shrugged and took one. Ruby did likewise and hesitantly took a bite. And another. Soon enough, she had five or six cookies stuffed into her mouth.

The adults stared at her incredulously. Kyousuke, who had seen this happen several times already, simply ignored it.

"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe user this skilled before," Ozpin continued after several moments of silence. "A dusty old crow…"

"Mhh dasmaunklll," Ruby said, her cheeks bulging with chocolatey-goodness.

"Ruby, chew and swallow." Kyousuke sighed. The girl did so.

"Sorry," she smiled. "That's my uncle, Qrow."

"He works as a teacher at Signal," the black-haired teen elaborated. Ruby nodded enthusiastically.

"Yup!" she grinned. "I was complete garbage before he taught me. Now I'm all: _Yah! Wapah! Shakabooie!_"

She emphasized her speech by making several random kung fu moves, nearly smacking Kyousuke in the face several times.

"So I've noticed," Ozpin chuckled before turning his attention to the boy beside her. "And what about you, Mr. Kousaka? Glynda, if you please?"

The woman nodded and changed the video clip from Ruby's battle performance to Kyousuke's. The frame froze on an image of him wielding his sword.

"An impressive weapon if I do say so myself," Ozpin remarked. "The gunblade was one of the first mecha-weapons ever invented, but it's also known to be one of the most difficult to master."

"I'm hardly what you'd call a master." Kyousuke shrugged.

"Indeed," the woman, Glynda chided. "Your form was shoddy at best."

"I believe that would be the result of three years of not wielding it," the man continued, a knowing smile on his face. Kyousuke's expression tightened.

"But it was still _sooooooo _cool!" Ruby suddenly broke in, much to everyone's surprise. "Yang told me stories about it, but I've never seen it with my own eyes! That's Big Bro's famous gunblade, the Blazefire Saber! Oh, it's so _cool__!"_

Everyone in the room simply stared at her in shock for several moments as she continued to gush about the sword. Once she realized that they were all staring, Ruby quieted down with a nervous giggle.

"Haha, sorry," she said. "I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons."

"I can tell," Ozpin chuckled. "Though I must say, I find it surprising that an adorable girl such as yourself is in the combat program at Signal."

"Well," Ruby smiled. "It's always been my dream to become a Huntress. I've only got two more years at Signal. Then I plan on applying at Beacon. You see, my sister is applying there this year. She's trying to become a Huntress, I'm trying to become a Huntress - y'know, cause I-wanna-help-people-and-my-parents-always-said-you-should-help-others. And-I-thought-I-might-as-well-make-a-career-out-of-it. I-mean-the-police-are-cool-but-Huntresses-are-_sooooo_-much-more-romantic-and-exciting-and _**kyaaaa**_ "

Once again, Ruby found the entire room staring at her, prompting her to deflate in embarrassment. Ozpin chuckled for a moment. "So, you want to come to my school?"

"More than anything." Ozpin shared a look with Glynda, who merely sighed. The man then turned his attention to Kyousuke once more.

"And what about you, Mr. Kousaka?"

"What about me?" the boy raised an eyebrow.

"I believe your sister will be enrolling this year," Ozpin said. "Two years early, if I remember correctly."

"And?"

"Will you be enrolling this year as well?" he prodded.

"No." Kyousuke said bluntly.

The man frowned. "Oh, and why not?"

"To start, I don't have the credentials," Kyousuke shrugged. "And as you've pointed out, I haven't so much as _touched _my gunblade in three years."

"I see." Ozpin hummed thoughtfully. "Well, what would you say if I offered you a place at my school?"

"I'd say you must have a few screws loose," the boy replied.

"Kyousuke!" his father snapped. He flinched, but held his gaze on Ozpin.

"You'd refuse, then?" the man asked. At Kyousuke's nod, he turned to Ruby once again. "And what about you, Miss Rose?"

"A-Are you seriously offering what I think you're offering?" the girl asked, barely able to contain her excitement.

"On one condition," Ozpin smiled.

"Anything!" Ruby cried.

"My condition is: Mr. Kousaka must attend as well."

Kyousuke's eyes widened as Ruby suddenly turned to him with her infamous puppy-dog-eyes. He grit his teeth as the entire room looked at him, awaiting his answer.

"Kyousuke," his father spoke up. "Professor Ozpin has been very kind thus far. He's used his authority to clear up everything regarding tonight's incident and made sure your names will be kept away from the media. You _will _accept his offer."

"Please, please, _pleeeeeaase_!" Ruby begged, her eyes shining with tears.

"Damn it…" Kyousuke murmured. He glared at Ozpin. "Why?"

"Why what, Mr. Kousaka?"

"Why are you so determined to get me into your school?"

The gray-haired man just stared at him for several moments. Finally, he folded his fingers in front of his mouth, staring at him intently. "Mr. Kousaka. When I look at you, all I see is wasted potential. You could be great and yet, you hold yourself back. Why is that?"

"I have a feeling you already _know _why, Professor," Kyousuke said wearily. He glanced at his father once again, meeting his steely gaze for several moments. He turned to Ruby, who was still staring at him pleadingly.

With a great, world-weary sigh, he nodded. "Fine. I'll accept your offer, Professor."

"Excellent," Ozpin smiled, as Ruby cheered in the seat next to him. Glynda rolled her eyes, while his father simply nodded in satisfaction.

Kyousuke, on the other hand, just rubbed the bridge of his nose in irritation.

'_I just want a normal life!' _he lamented to himself.

* * *

"Your mother and sister are asleep," Daisuke said as he dropped his son off in front of their home. "Don't wake them up. I'm still needed for the investigation, so I probably won't be back tonight. Don't stay up too late."

"Yeah, yeah," the boy muttered as he got out of the car.

"And Kyousuke!" the large man called out to his retreating back. Kyousuke turned, an eyebrow raised.

His father nodded at him. "Good work tonight."

The teenager just starred in shock as his father promptly pulled out of the driveway and sped away towards the police station.

"Did he just… praise me?" Shaking his head at the surrealism of the situation, he made his way inside. As expected, all the lights were out. Kyousuke slipped his shoes off and gingerly made his way upstairs. Once he found the door to his room, he slipped inside.

Immediately, his eyes were drawn to a bright light sitting on his bed. The light of some sort of electronic device.

"Who's there?!" Kyousuke growled, flipping the lights on and placing his hand on the hilt of his gunblade.

Before he could even react, however, a hand was clamped over his mouth. He struggled for a moment before his eyes found the angry blue orbs of his sister.

"Krrnn?!" His shout was muffled by Kirno's hand.

"Shut up!" she hissed. "Mom's still asleep!"

He calmed himself and she released her grip on him.

"What are you doing in my room?" he demanded. She, of course, ignored him.

"Where the _hell _have you been?" Kirino growled. "Banging that blonde bimbo and her huge tits? How disgusting!"

"First of all, don't call her that," Kyousuke said sternly. "And second of all, no, I wasn't. And third of all, don't say _tits_!"

"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you to get home?" she continued as though he hadn't spoken.

Kyousuke raised an eyebrow at her. "And why the hell were you waiting for me?"

His sister grinned at him and shoved a CD case into his arms. "Play this and finish it by Monday."

"Like hell!" the boy roared, staring at the box incredulously. "This is an eroge!"

"It's not just an eroge!" she exclaimed, stars in her eyes. "It's _Rabu Rabu Imouto_! It's considered a masterpiece!"

"That's not the point!" Kyousuke hissed, though it was clear that she wasn't taking no for an answer.

'_I just want my normal life back!'_

* * *

**A/N: Hello, everyone. Sorry, but this isn't a chapter of Devil Among Devils or even a spinoff of it. This is something I've been interested in doing for a few months now. I believe this is the FIRST OreImo/RWBY crossover. How exciting! Or not, I guess.**

**Now, some of you may recognize Kyousuke's gunblade. It's the same one Lightning uses in FFXIII. Why does he have it? Because I am an uncreative motherfucker.**

* * *

**Now let's talk relationships. I'm think I explained them all well enough in the main fic, but if you're still confused:**

**Yang is Kyousuke's osananajimi (childhood friend)**

**And since Yang is pretty much Ruby's only friend, that makes Kyousuke her friend, pretty much by default. She also fills in the little sister role that Kirino left void.**

**Kirno and Kyousuke's relationship is the same as canon.**

**And Manami… well, she's kinda… dead. (Or is she? Muahahaha!)**

***cough***

* * *

**Anyway. Since this is an OreImo crossover, there will probably be a lot of slice-of-life scenes in this fic. But since it's also RWBY, there will still be plenty of action. It'll be a real task trying to balance it all, but I'm really looking forward to it.**

**So, tell me. Who do you want to see at Beacon? Who should Kyousuke's teammates be? Who should Kirino's teammates be? What should their team names be? I already have several ideas, but I'd like your input as well. (This is a not-so-subtle attempt at coaxing reviews out of you.)**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Your King**


	2. Chapter 2

Yang let out tortured groan, pulling the blankets over her head in an attempt to block the sunlight streaming through her bedroom window. Though she'd had fun last night, the pounding headache she was currently experiencing left her questioning her decision to spike the punch bowl with vodka. Her primary target hadn't even _touched _the damn stuff!

"Damn it…" the blonde muttered as she began hearing several clamoring voices coming from downstairs. "Could they be any louder?"

She grabbed her pillow and wrapped it around her head in an attempt to block out the noise. It worked for a minute or two before the voices began to steadily increase in volume.

Yang let out a low growl in the back of her throat, her eyes turning to glare at the door murderously.

"Oi!" She shouted, but all she succeeded in doing was worsening her headache. After heaving an aggravated sigh, the girl threw the covers off and stumbled her way to the door.

"-ever do something so dangerous again!" her father's voice carried upstairs as her bedroom door swung open. "Do you understand me, Ruby Rose?"

"Yes, Dad…" her little sister's voice said in a surprisingly demure tone. Yang frowned as she began making her way down the stairs. What did Ruby do this time?

After several minutes of alternating between descending and grasping her head in pain, the blonde finally made it to the kitchen, where Ruby, their father and - to Yang's surprise - their uncle Qrow sat around the dining table.

"Old Man Qrow?" Yang questioned as she dragged herself into the room.

"Why, hello, Yang," the older man said with a bemused smile. "Rough night?"

"And you!" The girls' father suddenly turned his wrath towards his eldest child. "You told me there would be no alcohol at that party! You're lucky Kyousuke was there to drag you home! Do you have any idea how dangerous that could have been for a young woman like you?!"

The girl let out a groan as she sat down next to her baby sister. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered, rubbing her forehead wearily. "I'm sorry."

"One _'yeah' _is enough," the man said sternly.

His name was Querv, the father of Yang and Ruby. A widow, twice over, he had dark hair and matching eyes. He wore a black sweater and a pair of brown trousers.

Sitting next to him was his older brother, Qrow. Although he once had hair as dark as his sibling, just a few years ago, it had begun turning gray at the sides. Now, the majority of his hair was gray, with just a few streaks of black remaining. Unlike his brother, however, Qrow possessed a pair of sharp blue eyes. Dressed in a dark suit, he looked every part the dignified professor.

"I'll be dealing with you later, young lady," Querv said sharply. "When you're not as indisposed as you are now."

Yang rolled her eyes and pulled a plate of pancakes over. "Yes, sir," she grumbled, chewing on the bread roughly. "So, what was all that yelling about earlier?"

"Well, look at the time," Ruby suddenly stood. "I better go…!"

"Sit." Querv commanded. The girl did so, a stricken look on her face. "Well, Yang. Last night, your sister deemed it necessary to attack a well-known criminal and his gang of thieves."

"You _what?_" the blonde demanded, staring at her sister incredulously.

"Well, you see, I - uh…"

"How could you just attack a _dangerous _criminal-"

"Yang, I…"

"And not invite _ME_?!" the blonde roared, pounding her fist into the table and nearly causing it to collapse.

"Yang!" their father snapped.

Ruby's face melted in relief before grinning at her sister happily. "You should have been there!" she exclaimed. "I was all, _waaaah… hiya!_"

"Man, you have all the luck," Yang grinned, bringing a fork-full of pancakes towards her mouth.

"And then, Big Bro whips out his gunblade and starts kicking butt, too!" Ruby gushed. "It was awesome!"

_**Clatter**__._

The fork fell back onto the plate, creating a harsh noise that caused all three of her family members to flinch. The red-haired girl turned to her sister in confusion.

"Sis?" Ruby questioned. The blonde girl simply stared at her in mute shock. Her mouth moved, but no words came out.

Finally, after several minutes of silence, Yang spoke. "H-He used it?" she asked urgently. "He used his gunblade?"

"Y-Yes…?"

"He used _Blazefire Saber?_"

"Yes," Ruby smiled. "It was just as beautiful as you said it was. Not flashy or intricate. It just had a simple elegance about it."

"I-I don't believe it…" Yang whispered, shaking her head. Her breakfast sat forgotten before her. "Kyo actually used it? It's been… three years..."

"And I believe that there was something else you should inform her about?" Qrow suggested. Beside him, their father scowled slightly.

"That's right!" Ruby exclaimed, practically bouncing in excitement. "Yang, guess what! I'm going to Beacon!"

"I still don't think she's ready," Querv grumbled. Qrow clapped a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, though he still wore an amused expression on his face.

"Seriously?" Yang was broken out of her reverie and turned to stare at the younger girl in shock. "But, how?"

"Well, during the battle, we ran into Ms. Goodwitch, Professor Ozpin's assistant," Ruby explained. "The Professor saw our performance and offered us a place at Beacon!"

"Wait," the blonde broke in, her eyes widening. "Did you say… _us_?"

"That's right!" the redhead beamed. "Big Bro got in, too! We'll all be going together!"

Yang just stared at her for several moments before a grin slowly made its way onto her face. The blonde girl broke into a fit of giddy laughter as she pulled Ruby into a hug.

"Oh, this day just keeps getting better and better!" Yang exclaimed. Suddenly, she stood up, a gleam in her eye. "I gotta go see Kyo!"

She stood and made to leave, except…

"And where do you think _you're_ going, young lady?" Querv demanded. "Did you forget I have yet to assign punishment for your little mishap last night?"

Yang flinched and slowly turned to face him, a pout on her face. "_Pleeeaase_, Daddy?" she sniffed, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. "I promise never to do it again."

Her father cringed at her expression. Finally, after several moments, he sighed. "Fine," he said wearily. His daughter cheered and gave him a kiss on the cheek before dashing out the door.

"Hey, Yang!" Ruby called as she chased after her. "Wait for me!"

Querv watched as his children ran out the door to go see their friend. Qrow chuckled at his expression.

"Hmm, you're getting soft, little brother," he said at length.

"Shut up," Querv muttered, shaking his head. '_They look more and more like their mothers every day.'_

They were silent for several minutes before Qrow brought up something he'd been wondering for a while now.

"Hey, wasn't Yang hung-over just a few minutes ago?" The girl had seemed perfectly fine when she left.

The two brothers shared a puzzled look over the strange phenomenon before shrugging. It was _Yang _they were talking about, after all.

* * *

Across the city, another person, despite being awake for several hours now, was just as disheveled as the blonde girl in question.

"Those damn brats," Roman Torchwick muttered to himself as he fingered a soot stain on his once-pristine white jacket. "They ruined my brand new suit."

He strode through a labyrinth of industrial transport boxes until he came upon a small workbench, upon which lay a large map of the Greater Vale Area.

"Honestly," he continued under his breath. "Notorious criminal, Roman Torchwick: robbing Dust stores? Just what the hell does that woman need with all this Dust, anyway?"

"That's for me to know and you to carry out, Roman," a sultry voice said from behind one of the boxes. "Like the good little foot soldier you are."

Roman noticeably jumped at the voice, quickly spinning around to see a young woman approaching him. She had dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders and a pair of amber eyes. The woman wore a dark-red, off-the-shoulders, v-neck mini-dress with yellow designs that reminded him strongly of flowing lava.

"Whoa…!" the red-haired man exclaimed, backing away from her nervously. "Cinder! I-I thought you took off already!"

"I just wanted to… clarify a few things with you before I take my leave," the dark-haired temptress said as she began to slowly walk circles around him. Every step she took oozed sensuality. The red-haired man swallowed. "You'll take care not to have a repeat of last night, won't you?"

"Of course," Roman murmured, following her movements anxiously. "Those brats were an… unexpected factor. If they get in my way again, I'll kill them myself. You can be sure of that."

"Ah, yes. About that…"

It happened faster than Roman could have possibly reacted. Cinder threw her hand forward, whipping it across his face harshly. The crack of skin contacting skin echoed off the walls and the redhead was nearly sent flying into the desk behind him.

"If I find out that you've done so, I guarantee you'll join them soon after." Her voice was positively glacial as she sneered at his still-staggering form.

Roman looked up at her, his vision still reeling. "Those _brats_?" he asked incredulously. "And just what's so special about them?"

"I couldn't care less about the _girl_," Cinder scoffed, turning on her heel and making her way towards the parked Bullhead. A henchman sat in the cockpit, ready to fly her wherever it was she planned on going. "Do as you wish with her. But the boy is _mine_."

Roman watched in mild shock as the woman climbed into the large machine. The Bullhead rose up from the helipad and through the open roof of the warehouse. Finally, with a roaring _boom_, it took off into the skies above.

The red-haired man shook his head. "I don't know what you did, brat," he muttered, turning his attention towards the map of Vale once again. "But it looks like somehow, you ended up on Cinder's bad side."

And if this was the case, the boy would need all the help he could get. He almost felt sorry for the kid. Almost.

"I hope he's training his ass off." Roman placed a cigar in his mouth and quickly lit it with his zippo. "Cause God knows he's gonna need it."

* * *

Kyousuke blearily opened his eyes as the sunlight began to stream through his windows. Yawning slightly, he made to get up, only to feel a weight against his shoulder.

Glancing to his left, he saw his beloved little sister sleeping peacefully beside him. Smiling slightly, he

1. Gently hugged her close.

2. Pulled the blanket over her without waking her.

3. Kicked her out of bed without question.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he shouted, violently kicking the slumbering girl out of his bed.

"Gaah!" the _real _Kyousuke exclaimed as Kirino punched him in the nose.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" his sister roared. "Look, you made Shiori-chan cry! You disgusting _monster_!"

"Why are you making me do this?!" Kyousuke shouted back, gesturing wildly towards his computer, on which an eroge was currently running.

"Unbelievable!" Kirino muttered, ignoring him completely. "Who could kick an innocent sleeping girl out of bed like that?"

'_Says the bitch that slaps her brother in the face to wake him up,_' Kyousuke thought snidely, remembering the incident from last night. Kirino had woken him up at a godforsaken hour to show him her extensive collection of eroge and anime. In his sleep-deprived stupor, he'd promised to help with her hobby, but he certainly didn't remember agreeing to _this!_

"_G-Gomen ne, Onii-chan…" _**Shiori **said pitifully.

"See?" Kirino demanded. "Don't you feel sorry for her?"

"She's a cluster of pixels sitting on my computer," Kyousuke said bluntly. "So, no; not really."

His sister looked ready to spit out an angry retort, but was silenced as a loud banging noise suddenly began reverberating throughout the house. It sounded like it was coming from downstairs...

"Kyo!" a familiar voice shouted from outside. "Open up!"

"Yang?" Kyousuke exclaimed.

"Ugh, what is _she _doing here?" Kirino muttered, irritation seeping into her voice.

"I don't know," he replied, a slightly confused expression making its way onto his face. "I figured she'd be stuck at home with a hangover." Kyousuke turned towards Kirino with a glare. "But, whatever. I'm gonna go greet them. Eject that eroge and take it back to your room."

He didn't wait for her to respond, instead jogging towards the stairs. "Kyo! Hurry up and open the door!"

"I'm coming!" he roared, as Yang continued to pound on the front door. "Just hold your horses!"

Kyousuke opened the door to see Yang grinning at him.

"Hey, Kyo, I'm here to _Yang_ out!" The door immediately slammed shut. "No, wait! I'm sorry! No more puns, I swear!"

A moment later, the door was unlocked once more and Kyousuke suddenly found his face wedged between two _very _soft objects.

"Kyo!" the blonde cried, having captured him in a bone-crushing hug. "I heard the news!"

"Nwws?" he asked, his voice muffled by Yang's shirt.

"That you're coming to Beacon with me!" she elaborated.

"And," With a great heave, Kyousuke freed himself from her ironclad grip, gasping for breath as he did so. "Where did you hear that?"

"I told her, Big Bro," Ruby said from behind her older sister. The black-haired boy turned his gaze towards her, slightly irked. "Are you… angry?"

He continued to stare at her for several moments before sighing. "No," Kyousuke sighed. "She would have found out sooner or later." He blinked however, and took another look at his childhood friend. "Isn't that the same dress from last night?"

Yang glanced down at her attire. It was indeed the same dress she'd worn to the party last night. "Ahaha," the blonde chuckled sheepishly. "I guess I was a little too excited with the news and all. I still have some spare clothes here, right?"

"_Some?_" Kyousuke repeated, raising an eyebrow at her. "You realize that half the clothes in my closet are _yours_, right?"

"You never know," Yang shrugged, a grin on her face. "You _have _thrown my stuff away before."

"That was last week," he snapped. "And in the time between then and now, you _still _somehow managed to fill my closet with your stuff again."

"That's just me showing you how much I care, Kyo!" The blonde threw him a thumbs-up and a wink before walking past him and making her way upstairs.

"Bro!" Ruby suddenly shouted, causing him to jump in shock. Kyousuke turned to see her practically bouncing where she stood. "Can I see it?"

"See what?" he asked in confusion.

"Blazefire Saber!" the redhead exclaimed, barely able to contain her excitement. "Can I see it? _Pleeeease?_ I promise I won't break it!"

Kyousuke rolled his eyes and sighed. "It's on my nightstand," he replied. "Go on ahead. I'll go grab us some drinks."

Ruby wasted no time in brushing past him and bounding up the stairs. However, before she could make it to the top, she found herself face-to-face with Kyousuke's sister.

"Oh!" the red-haired girl squeaked. "H-Hi, Kirino!"

The other girl didn't even bother responding, deliberately brushing past her and down the stairs. Kyousuke's eyes narrowed as he spied Ruby's crestfallen expression.

"Oi!" he snapped. "The least you can do is say _'hi' _back."

His sister merely threw him a dirty look. "I'm going out," she said bluntly before walking away from him and out the door.

"That little…!" He glanced up the stairs to see that Ruby had already left. With a sigh, he made his way towards the kitchen and retrieved three cans of Yang's favorite _Ol' King Cold_ and three glasses of ice, placing all of them on a small serving tray.

As he made his way back upstairs however, he noticed there was a very suspicious lack of noise coming from his room. Usually, whenever weaponry was involved, Ruby would be gushing very loudly and Yang would be attempting to calm her down.

But as he approached the semi-closed door of his room, Kyousuke heard none of this. Just an eerie silence.

Eyes narrowing, Kyousuke pushed the door open. The first thing he noticed was several articles of female clothing on the floor, including - embarrassingly enough - a pair of yellow panties and a matching bra.

The second thing he noticed was that Blazefire Saber lay untouched upon his nightstand.

The third and final thing he noticed was that the two girls were currently sitting at his computer, transfixed with something on the screen.

"Hey," Kyousuke called. "What are you-"

"_Ahn!" _a very erotic noise came from his computer. "_Onii-chan… d-dame…!"_

Kyousuke immediately went pale. "N-No!" he shouted, his voice going up an octave.

"Wow, Kyo," Yang said, a look of surprise on her face as she glanced up at him. "I didn't know you were into this kind of thing."

Ruby refused to make eye contact with him, her face completely red.

"This isn't what it looks like!" Kyousuke cried hysterically. "I swear!"

"_Onii-chan… I-Ikuuuu!" _He nearly lost it as the two-dimensional girl on his computer reached climax. If possible, Ruby's face grew even redder while Yang had a shit-eating grin on her face.

"It's alright, Kyo," the blonde said slyly. "Or should I say... Nii-san?"

"Y-You _are _at that age…" Ruby added, shyly bumping her two index fingers together. She still wouldn't make eye contact with him. "O-Onii-chan."

Kyousuke simply fell to his knees, sobbing brokenly.

* * *

In downtown Vale, in a small laboratory, two adults sat conversing. The light from a nearby lamp was all that prevented the room from being engulfed in darkness.

"I see," Yoshino hummed, smiling happily as she fiddled with a microscope. "So, that's what happened, huh?"

"Yes." Daisuke nodded from his position leaning against her desk. "He'll be attending Beacon next month."

"I always knew my baby had it in him," she said, a hint of pride entering her voice. "And what about Torchwick?"

The large man frowned. "The search is still on," he said gruffly. "Goodwitch and the children said he escaped in a Bullhead with a dark-haired woman. The goons we arrested were useless. They were just hired muscle. No information to be found _there_."

"There, there," Yoshino said, patting him comfortingly. "You'll get him eventually. You always do."

Daisuke smirked and opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a beeping noise coming from his wife's scroll.

Yoshino reached into her coat pocket and retrieved the small communications device. "Rachel?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at the brown-haired secretary that appeared on her scroll.

"Professor Kousaka," the woman squeaked, uncharacteristically nervous. "Y-You've got a call on line two."

"I see," Yoshino raised an eyebrow at her before sighing. "Thank you, Rachel."

"I'd better get going then," Daisuke checked his watch. "I should get back to the station anyway."

"I'm sorry," his wife said apologetically.

"It's fine," he chuckled, leaning down and kissing her on the cheek. "I know how busy you are."

And with that, he took his leave.

"I'll try and come home tonight!" she called just as the door began to swing closed. "We'll throw a celebratory dinner for Kyousuke!"

Daisuke nodded before closing the door behind him. Yoshino sighed tiredly and reached for her scroll once again.

"Schnee Dust Company - Research Division," she said tiredly as she answered line two. "Division Head Yoshino speaking."

"Is this a bad time, Yoshino?" a well-dressed, white-haired man asked, raising an eyebrow at her through the scroll.

"Oh!" Yoshino exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. "Mr. President, what a surprise!"

The man sighed and she could tell he had to physically restrain himself from rolling his eyes. "I believe we've known each other long enough to skip the formalities, my dear," he said.

"Sorry, Svernare," she said sheepishly. "So, what's your reason for calling? I already sent you my latest reports, so it can't be that."

"Is it so wrong to call an old friend?" the white-haired man asked.

"You never call without a reason, Svernare," Yoshino smiled knowingly. He merely stared at her for several moments before sighing.

"You know me too well," he admitted. "It involves your son."

Yoshino blinked at him, confusion plain on her face. "What about Kyousuke?"

* * *

Kyousuke sneezed. He blinked, rubbing his nose in confusion.

"Gesundheit," Yang called out from her lounging position on his bed. Beside her, Ruby was busy examining (read: gushing) over his gunblade.

After their rather embarrassing encounter with Kirino's eroge, things had finally calmed down after Kyousuke had managed to convince them that one of his classmates had insisted he play it.

"It's dual cartridge compatible?" Ruby exclaimed as she ejected the magazine from the hilt of the blade.

"Yup," Yang grinned. "It also has an auto-adapter, so it can use any ammo you feed it. Unfortunately, it can't fire while in Blade Mode."

Ruby's brow furrowed in thought. "But, Big Bro kept his finger on the trigger," she said, remembering the encounter from last night. "Why do that if it can't fire?"

"That's where the dual cartridge comes in," Kyousuke said, looking up from his computer, where he was surfing the web. "The second cartridge is reserved almost entirely for Blade Mode. It's filled with special HF (High Frequency) rounds."

"The HF rounds make the blade resonate with high frequency vibrations, increasing its cutting power tenfold," Yang elaborated, a nostalgic grin on her face. "I've seen that thing cut through three feet of solid concrete like a hot knife through butter."

Ruby practically had stars in her eyes and she almost floated over to the older boy. "Bro!" she cried, grabbing his arm and drooling slightly. "Can you modify Crescent Rose to use your HF rounds?"

Kyousuke chuckled before removing himself from her grip. "Sorry, no can do, Ruby," he said. "It's a secret that was entrusted to me by my teacher."

"Your teacher?" the redhead repeated. "Oh! Can you introduce me? Maybe he'll show me how…!"

The black-haired boy flinched, however. "Eheh," He rubbed the back of his head. "I don't think she'd take too kindly to me showing up at her doorstep."

"Huh? Why not?"

"Let's just say she's not the most accommodating of people," Yang piped in, shaking her head slightly. "I've only met her once. Strictest woman you'd ever meet."

"Not only that, but we sort of had a... falling out…" Kyousuke said quietly. "She didn't appreciate me giving up my training."

"But… why did you give up?" Ruby asked carefully, sensing the solemn atmosphere.

"Let's just say that something happened three years ago," he shrugged. "And as a result, I swore that I would never fight again."

"But… what about last night?" the redhead questioned.

"That was an exception," Kyousuke admitted. "I couldn't let you deal with them on your own. If you had gotten hurt, I never would have forgiven myself."

Ruby's mind drifted to the events of the previous evening. When Roman had tossed that Dust crystal on the ground, she hadn't even noticed it. But Kyousuke had. He could have easily avoided it himself, but he chose to protect her instead of himself…

"Big Bro…" Ruby said softly. "I never got to say it last night, but… thank you. You saved my life back on the roof."

"I didn't do anything," Kyousuke snorted. "It was Ms. Goodwitch who saved us from the explosion."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Yang shouted, eyes darting between the two. "Roof? _Explosion?" _She thought the two had just dealt with some run-of-the-mill thieves. She thought her dad was just overreacting, like usual. But from the sound of things, the two had nearly gotten themselves _killed_.

"Well, when we were chasing Torchwick-"

"Wait, _Torchwick_?" Yang repeated. "As in _Roman _Torchwick? The guy that's been all over the news? _That _Torchwick?"

Ruby nodded meekly. "Yeah, him," she said.

"Ruby, why didn't you tell me any of this before?" the blonde girl demanded.

"Because I knew you'd freak out like this!" the redhead snapped. "You and dad are always like that. I'm not a little girl anymore. I drink _milk!_"

Yang's lip twitched, but she just sighed. "Alright," she said. "Sorry. You were saying?"

"Right…" Ruby muttered. "When we were chasing him, he threw a volatile Dust crystal at our feet. I was too distracted by the Bullhead to notice and I couldn't hear Kyousuke shouting at me to run. So, he tackled me to the ground and shielded me with his body."

Yang looked at them in shock while Ruby grew visibly upset. "If Ms. Goodwitch hadn't been there, you… you would have…"

"Kyo…"

"But I wasn't," Kyousuke snapped, uncomfortable with the unnecessary attention they were giving to his actions. "No one died and no one was injured. That's all that matters."

"But-"

"It's fine, Ruby," he said. "It's really no big deal."

Ruby opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a beeping noise coming from Kyousuke's scroll.

The black-haired boy sighed in relief, glad for an excuse to cut this uncomfortable situation short. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. The two girls nodded and he opened his scroll. He blinked at who he saw on the other end of the call. "Mom?"

"Ah, Kyousuke!" his mother exclaimed. "Oh, is that Yang and Ruby I see back there?"

"Hey, Mrs. K!" Yang greeted cheerfully, her mood doing a complete 180°. Ruby simply waved at her, not feeling very cheery at the moment.

"What are you calling for, Mom?" Kyousuke questioned. "Aren't you really busy?"

"I'm never too busy for my children, Kyousuke," his mother admonished. "But, in a way, you're right. Something has… come up. It would be better if I explained in person. I sent someone to pick you up."

He raised an eyebrow at her "Right now?" Kyousuke asked incredulously. He gestured towards the two girls. "I'm kind of busy hosting at the moment…"

"I'm sorry," Yoshino said apologetically. "But it's rather important." She turned to the two girls in question. "I'm sorry, you two. But if you're willing to stick around for a few hours, we'll be throwing a small dinner party. You're more than welcome to join us."

"Thanks," Ruby said, shaking her head. "But-"

"Sounds great, Mrs. K!" Yang exclaimed, cutting her sister off.

"Wonderful!" Yoshino said, clapping her hands together happily. "Kyousuke, Rachel should be there any moment now…"

Just as she said this, a black Rolls-Royce pulled into the driveway and honked. Yang let out a low, appreciative whistle at the machine.

"Since when do secretaries drive Rolls?" Kyousuke exclaimed.

"It actually belongs to the person I want you to meet," Yoshino said with a mysterious smile. "He insisted that you… arrive in a dignified manner."

"And why does he care how I arrive?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll explain when you get here," she said. "Don't keep Rachel waiting." And with that, she ended the call. Kyousuke merely sighed and closed his scroll.

"Sorry about this, girls," he said. Yang waved it off.

"No worries, Kyo," she grinned. "We'll just hang out in my room."

"It's not _your_ room. It's the guest room."

"It might as well be my room."

"Whatever," he sighed, grabbing a coat from his closet. "There's food in the fridge. Take whatever you want if you get hungry."

He grabbed Blazefire Saber and slung it onto a harness on his lower back. Then, with one final wave, he left. Ruby turned to her sister once he was out of sight.

"Why did you say we'd stay?" the redhead asked.

"Well, for one, Mrs. K is an awesome cook," Yang said with a grin. "And this also gives us a chance to snoop around. Let's see what other dirty things Kyo is hiding!"

Ruby flushed red but didn't stop her.

* * *

Outside, Kyousuke approached the parked car, a confused expression on his face. The person standing beside it was definitely _not _his mother's secretary. It was an elderly man wearing a smart black suit and a black chauffeur's hat.

"Master Kousaka," the man greeted. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Er, h-hi…" Kyousuke chuckled sheepishly. "Sorry, but I was expecting a woman named Rachel…?"

"I'm right here, Kyousuke," the backseat door opened and a mousy-haired woman stepped out. "I'm sorry, but we're running a bit late. Would you mind just getting in?"

"Yeah, sure," the black-haired boy slid inside the surprisingly spacious backseat. Rachel slid in after him. The elderly man closed the door behind her before taking a seat behind the wheel.

"Rachel," Kyousuke said after they'd pulled out of the driveway. "What's going on? And who is this?"

"That's Piers," the woman replied. The man in questioned tipped his hat, smiling at him through the rear-view mirror. "He'll be our chauffeur for the day. As for what's going on, I'm afraid there's not much I can tell you that you don't already know."

The teen glanced out the window to see the scenery of downtown Vale passing by as they cruised down the street. "Well, can you tell me where we're going? This isn't the way to my mother's lab."

"To the Schnee Company headquarters here in Vale," Rachel replied. She reached underneath the seat and pulled out a suitcase. "Now, I'm sorry, but I'm going to need you to get changed."

"Changed?" he repeated incredulously.

"Please, we don't have much time." Kyousuke spent the next several minutes in a wild flurry of flailing limbs as Rachel forced him into an expensive-looking three-piece suit.

"No!" he snapped, as Rachel procured a bottle of hair gel from the suitcase. The entire ordeal had left him very agitated. "You're not putting that crap in my hair."

Rachel glanced at her watch and sighed. "You're right, we don't have time," she said, prompting him to open his mouth to issue a hot retort. "We're here."

"Huh?" Kyousuke glanced out the window to find himself in the shadow of the single biggest skyscraper he had ever seen.

"Master Kousaka." The teen was broken out of his reverie by Piers' voice as he opened the door. Numbly, he stepped out of the car, still staring at the absolutely massive example of modern architecture.

He'd seen it hundreds of times before. Hell, he doubted there was single point in the city where you _couldn't _see it. But standing before it now made him realize just how _enormous _it was; and how enormous the Schnee Company was in general.

But what really hit Kyousuke the hardest was how long it'd been there - and _why_. The building itself had only finished construction less than five years ago. The Schnee Company's main headquarters was in Atlas, after all.

However, its research division and more importantly, its _Head_ was located here. His mother's presence here in Vale was slowly, but surely forcing the company to relocate. Such was the power and influence Yoshino Kousaka held.

Kyousuke had known this fact for years, but his mother had always made it seem so insignificant… so _trivial _that he'd never given it much thought.

"Let's go, Kyousuke," Rachel urged. The black-haired teen swallowed the lump in his throat and nervously readjusted his necktie before following the mousy-haired woman. In the back of his mind, he slightly regretted not letting Rachel gel his hair.

They entered the building and Kyousuke found that the building's interior was just as impressive as its exterior. The two completely bypassed the receptionist's desk and entered an elevator.

As they began to ascend to the highest levels, Kyousuke could feel his anticipation mounting. He wished Yang was here, if only to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen between Rachel and himself. He hoped those girls were staying out of trouble.

* * *

Across the city, Yang sneezed. She blinked at the randomness before shrugging and continuing her raid on Kyousuke's stash of porno mags.

* * *

Kyousuke and Rachel continued their ascent in the elevator. The only sound between them was Frank Sinatra's _Fly Me to the Moon_ coming from the elevator speakers.

Finally after several more moments of silence, the elevator let out a _ding_. Kyousuke glanced up to see that they were on… the 131st floor?!

The elevator doors opened and he found himself looking through a long passage. On the other side was an intricate mahogany door.

"Your mother is in the conference hall," Rachel gestured towards the doorway. "Best not to keep them waiting."

"Wait, who is _them_?" Kyousuke demanded. The woman merely shook her head, an amused smile on her face as she gently pushed him out and pressed the 'down' button.

The elevator doors closed and Kyousuke suddenly found himself alone in the hallway. Taking a calming breath, the black-haired teen strode towards the double-doors pausing only momentarily before reaching up and throwing them open.

What he saw was _not_ what he had been expecting. He'd half-expected to find himself in a darkened room, surrounded by huge electronic monoliths, demanding that he pilot an Evangelion to save the world from the Angels.

He'd be lying if he said he wasn't slightly disappointed. Not everyone got to pilot a giant robot, after all!

No, what he found instead was a brightly lit room with a long conference table. Most of the seats were empty, as there were only three individuals present. One was his mother. Another was a tall, white-haired man.

The final person was a beautiful girl with white hair tied into a ponytail on the right side of her head. She had sky-blue eyes and wore a white summer dress as well as a pair of elegant black sandals.

"Kyousuke!" his mother exclaimed cheerfully. "Look at you, all fancied up! I told Rachel it wasn't necessary, but you know how she gets."

"Mr. Kyousuke Kousaka," the man said, standing up from his spot at the head of the table. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last. Or perhaps I should say, it's nice to see you again. I haven't seen you since you were a babe."

"Um, the pleasure is mine…?" Kyousuke muttered, shaking the man's hand.

"Kyousuke, this is Svernare Schnee," Yoshino said. "President and owner of the Schnee Company."

Eyes widening, the black-haired teen coughed nervously. "N-Nice to meet you, Mr. President."

The man took a step back and looked him over once before nodding in apparent satisfaction. "You've become a fine young man," he gestured toward the girl, who'd held herself back from their introductions. "You've probably surmised, but this is my daughter, Weiss."

"A pleasure to finally meet you again," The white-haired girl gave him an elegant curtsy befitting of a princess-figure such as herself.

"Nice to meet you, too," Kyousuke nodded, feeling incredibly out-of-place... Wait a second… "Again? Have we met before?"

Svernare blinked at him before turning towards Yoshino, a single eyebrow raised. "You… never told him?"

"Ehehe," the brown-haired woman rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "I wasn't expecting you to follow through with it. I realize that Yuki and I were close, but I didn't think she was being _serious _when we agreed to it…"

The man frowned at her. "You, more than most, should know that the Schnee family does not make such promises lightly," he chided, eyes narrowing.

"So, you don't know about… anything?" Weiss asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"No…" the black-haired teen said nervously. "Should I?"

"One would hope," she replied, crossing her arms. "Considering that we've been engaged since the day we were born."

Ah, so that was all!

…

…

…

"Wait, _**WHAT?**_"

* * *

**A/N: Poor Kyousuke. He's never gonna have a normal life, is he? Did the transition into the Schnee Company feel jarring and rushed? Good. Cause that's exactly how Kyousuke feels right now.**

**Anyway, some info for this chapter:**

**Querv - My version of Yang and Ruby's father. His name is a corruption of "cuervo", which is the Spanish word for "raven" - to go along with Qrow's naming.**

**Svernare - My version of Weiss' father. His name roughly means "winter" in Italian. **

**Rachel - A minor character. Yoshino's secretary. I chose her name at random. Don't think too hard on it.**

**Piers - Svernare's chauffeur. Same as Rachel. Don't think too hard on it.**

**Now, for those of you not too familiar with how I like to handle things… I like to create reference pages for my fics in style of your typical "wiki". I've created one for this fic as well.**

**There's not too many interesting things on it yet, since we're not very far in. Things of interest currently on the site:**

_Pictures of Kyousuke's gunblade for those who don't know what it looks like._

_A video on how Kyousuke's gunblade transforms._

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and as always, thanks for reading!**

**- Your King**


	3. Chapter 3

"Wait, _**WHAT?**_" Kyousuke cried, his eyes darting wildly between the three individuals before him.

"Kyousuke, sweetheart," Yoshino said placatingly. "Just calm down."

"Mom, how can you expect me to 'just calm down'?" the black-haired teen demanded. "I've just been told I'm engaged to someone I've never even _met _before!"

"Not true," Svernare said calmly. "The two of you were nursery mates for the first few years of your lives. I suppose in a way, you could be called '_childhood friends_'?"

Kyousuke stared at him blankly. "That's not helping."

"It's not as though it's official yet," Yoshino supplied.

"Also not true," the white-haired man shook his head. "The engagement has been formally recognized in Atlas for the past seventeen years."

"You can't be serious!" Kyousuke snapped, all traces of his earlier nervousness gone. He turned towards his supposed fiancé. "And you're okay with this?"

"I've had seventeen years to get used to the idea," Weiss said dryly. "As opposed to your seventeen seconds."

"This is insane," he muttered, shaking his head. Kyousuke pulled back one of the conference chairs and collapsed in it. "I thought this kind of thing only happened in harem anime and bad fanfiction_…_"

He could feel a vague sense of irony here somewhere, but he ignored it.

"This indeed complicates matters," Svernare sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I was under the impression that you'd been aware of the engagement your whole life, as Weiss was. It was my hope for our families to be joined soon after your graduation."

"But… why?" Kyousuke asked. "Why _me?_"

"Mr. Kousaka-"

"Kyousuke is fine."

"Kyousuke, then," the man said, watching him intently. "You realize the position your mother holds in our company, correct?" At the boy's nod, he continued. "Then you realize that she exudes great power and influence in the world. Perhaps even enough to match my own. It is in our best interest to centralize that power."

"And by marrying me to your daughter, you would bind me - and more importantly - my mother to the company."

"Kyousuke!" his mother exclaimed, shocked at the stark accusation in his voice. She, of course, had realized this as well but there was no need to be so _blunt _about it. Svernare, however, just smirked at him.

"You catch on quickly," he chuckled. "That is the _political _reason, yes. But there are personal reasons that are just as valid. Your mother and I have known each other for a very long time, Kyousuke. In fact, it was Yoshino who introduced me to my late wife."

Kyousuke picked up on his use of the past tense. "_Late_ wife…?"

"Yes," the man nodded, growing somber. "Just a few short years after you and Weiss were born, in fact."

"I'm sorry," the black-haired teen murmured.

"Don't be," Weiss said, her voice cold. "It's hardly _your _fault. If anyone is to blame, it's those bastards in the White Fang."

Kyousuke turned to her in alarm. "The White Fang?"

"Weiss," her father broke in. "There is a time and place for everything, but not now." When she nodded, he turned back towards Kyousuke. "It was one of my wife's last wishes that the two of you be wed, and for our families to become one. I would very much like to honor her memory."

"I understand that," Kyousuke sighed. "This is what you want... what your wife wanted. But… what about what _we _want?" He turned to stare at Weiss. "Are you really okay with this? Getting married to some guy you barely even know?"

"Like I said earlier," she shrugged. "It's in the company's best interest. I've come to accept that."

Kyousuke simply stared at her, his eyes narrowed. He just couldn't understand that line of thinking. This was her entire _life_, and she was just going to give up and do whatever her father asked of her_?_

"You may have _accepted _it," he said, a little harsher than he intended if the way she jumped in shock was any indication. "But do you _like _it? Can you look me in the eye and say that you _want _to marry me?"

Weiss turned to her father, eyes wide. "I-"

"Don't look at him," Kyousuke said lowly. "It's not _his _life he's giving away. It's _yours_."

"If - If it's for the company-"

"I don't care what's best for the company!" he growled, his anger getting the best of him.

"Kyousuke, please, calm down," Yoshino pleaded.

"Kyousuke-" Svernare began. The black-haired teen threw him a heated glare.

"She's your daughter," he snapped. "Don't you think your wife would care more about her happiness than some promise she made almost two _decades _ago?"

The white-haired man just stared at him for several moments before turning towards the girl in question.

"Weiss?" he asked softly.

"Well?" Kyousuke demanded.

"...not…"

"I can't hear you."

"_OF COURSE NOT!_" the white-haired girl screamed as she leapt to her feet, glaring at him fiercely. "I'm only seventeen! I've never even held hands with a boy, let alone had a boyfriend! Do you honestly think I _want _to get married? I don't even _know _you!"

They were silent for several minutes. The only sound that could be heard was Weiss' heavy breathing as she attempted to catch her breath. Kyousuke smiled slightly.

"I think you have your answer," he said quietly.

"I… see…" Svernare murmured, staring at his daughter, who refused to meet his gaze. "Well, I must say I'm... slightly disappointed." He shook his head, causing him to miss Weiss flinch at his words.

"I'm sorry," Kyousuke said sincerely. "But I really think this is for the best."

"However," the white-haired man spoke up. "This raises another issue."

"What now?" the black-haired teen asked, annoyance seeping into his voice.

"The engagement is… quite public information," the man elaborated. "If it were to suddenly be broken off, it would reflect rather poorly on _all _of us. It wouldn't be a stretch to say it would be quite the scandal."

"Well, what would you have us do?" Kyousuke asked. "I think we've made it quite clear that we don't intend to get married."

"Well, as far as the world is concerned, the two of you are courting," Svernare said. "I'm told that you will be attending Beacon, yes? Weiss will be attending as well."

"I don't like where this is going…" the teen muttered.

"So, I ask that during your time there, you at least _pretend _to be courting her." The man calmly folded his hands before him. "After that, we can announce that the two of you simply found yourselves incompatible and things should fall into place from there."

"You can't be serious!" the boy protested. Svernare ignored him and instead turned towards his daughter.

"Weiss, would you be willing to agree to this?"

The white-haired heiress nodded. "Of course, father."

"You're _kidding_," Kyousuke said, his voice completely deadpan. "What happened to the whole '_I don't even know you_' spiel?"

Weiss simply glared at him. "My father has already agreed to break off the engagement," she snapped, causing him to flinch back, a startled look on his face. "I think the least we can do is help save face."

Kyousuke stared at her in shock for several moments before swallowing and turned to face the expectant gazes of their parents.

"We just need to be seen together a few times, right?" he asked.

"At a bare minimum, yes," Svernare nodded. "However, it would be best if you were seen doing typical couple-like things every once in a while."

"For the next… _four years?_" Kyousuke questioned, sneaking a glance at the still-glaring Weiss. The man nodded.

"Yes."

Kyousuke stared at him for several moments before turning to Weiss, who was _still _glaring at him. "And you agree with this?" At her nod, he sighed.

"I... I suppose it's better than the alternative," he said after a while. "I can tell my friends, right?"

"I would prefer you didn't." The man raised a hand at the look of protest on Kyousuke's face. "But, if you trust that they won't go blabbing to anyone, then I won't stop you."

"...Alright then," Kyousuke muttered. Inwardly, however, he was lamenting yet another large crack in his 'normalcy armor'.

"Excellent," Svernare smiled. He glanced at a digital clock on the wall. "I see that it's almost noon. I believe this would be a good opportunity for the two of you to get acquainted in a… more relaxed atmosphere. You'll be together for the foreseeable future, after all. No sense remaining strangers."

"There's a nice little cafe just down the street," Yoshino supplied. At that very moment, Kyousuke's stomach decided to remind him that it was empty by letting out a loud rumble. His mother giggled as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Why don't you two head over there? It's on us."

"We'll do just that. Thank you," Weiss gave an elegant curtsey before roughly grabbing Kyousuke by the arm. "Let's go," she said, and proceeded to drag him towards the door.

"Oh, and Kyousuke," Svernare called. The black-haired teen turned to see a small smirk on the white-haired man's face. "I'm curious to know what possessed you to scream at your mother's employer."

"Ah," the boy smiled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "You said it yourself, Mr. President. My mother is too valuable an asset to risk losing."

"That she is." The man's smirk widened. "You're quite sharp, young man. If it makes any difference to you, I think you would make a fine executive for the company - with a little training, of course."

"I'm just a normal guy, sir." Kyousuke shrugged. "I'm not cut out for that kind of thing."

"If you say so," the president waved them off. "Don't let me keep you, now. Go on, you two."

Once the heavy, mahogany doors closed behind the two teens, Yoshino turned towards him.

"Sorry about that," the woman said with a sheepish grin.

"Now, now, there's no need for that," Svernare chuckled, a small glint in his eyes. "Your son is sharper than he gives himself credit for. I can see why Ozpin is so interested in him."

"Hmm," Yoshino hummed. "Though, I can't say I'm not disappointed, perhaps this is for the best. I never intended to force them, after all. It was just hopeful wishing on mine and Yuki's part."

"Oh, believe me," he said, a sly grin taking shape on his face. "This is _far _from over."

The brunette raised an eyebrow at him. "And just what is _that _supposed to mean?"

"Well, after spending so much time together with my dearest daughter, would it really be so odd for him to feel more open to the thought of marriage?"

"So, _that _was what you were really after." Yoshino snorted, a look of amusement crossing her face.

"But of course," the white-haired man smirked. "They wouldn't have to _pretend _if they were to fall in love for real. And we wouldn't have to break off the engagement, either."

"Conniving, as always," she chuckled for a moment before growing somber once again. "But in the end, the choice will be _theirs _to make. If they choose not to marry; the games end, Svernare."

"Of course," he nodded. "It was never my intention to force them either. Now, enough of all this. Why don't I send for lunch? It's been quite a while since we've had the opportunity to just sit and talk over a nice drink."

"You know I'm never one to turn down good Mistralan wine," Yoshino winked.

"That you aren't," Svernare chuckled once more and retrieved his scroll.

* * *

Yang frowned as she flipped through another of Kyousuke's naughty magazines. It seemed that his tastes had changed over the years.

Three years ago, his mags would have been full of supermodels wearing eyeglasses. She'd used to tease him about it relentlessly. Especially in regards to a certain someone.

But… after what'd happened, perhaps it should not have been so surprising that his preferences had changed. However, the fact that it _was _so surprising… disturbed her slightly.

Three years ago, Yang knew Kyousuke like the back of her hand, and vice versa. However, in the time between then and now, the two had grown quite a bit.

The blonde had truly blossomed upon entering Signal. She had no shortage in the looks department. That, coupled with her combat abilities and well-above average grades placed her rather high on the school hierarchy.

This newfound popularity had gained her dozens of new friends. However, she always had a special place in her heart for Kyousuke, who - unlike her - had remained largely stagnant. He'd dropped out of the combat program a few months into their first year and his grades had fallen considerably. He wasn't _failing _by any means. But he wasn't excelling in anything either. He was just… average.

This left him solidly in the middle of the hierarchy. Kyousuke wasn't _unpopular _per say. To his classmates, he was just another face in the crowd. And he seemed content with this.

But to her… seeing him like that hurt. He just drifted through life without any passion or zest. It was so different from the boy who dreamed of greatness; someone whom she cared for with all her heart.

Yang had tried to coax him out of it by spending as much time with him as she could. But try as she might, he never seemed to be affected by it. And as the day of their graduation grew closer and closer, she began to lose hope.

Then, just yesterday, all hope had been shattered by Kyousuke himself.

"_He died that night three years ago, Yang."_

Hearing him say that had hurt so _badly_. And to her shame, it was in this moment that she'd given up on him. She would be attending Beacon in just a month's time, after all. Kyousuke would become practically nonexistent in her life.

Yang decided then and there that their final party together would be the greatest night of their lives. She '_procured_' a bottle of vodka and set out for the party.

But of course, the plan completely backfired when Kyo - the idiot - didn't drink the damn punch. And although he'd probably thought she was pissed drunk, (okay, admittedly, she _was…_) she was still fully aware of what she was doing when she tried to kiss him.

And of course her father had to walk in on them at that very moment. Watching Kyo walk away last night had been one of the hardest things she'd ever done. She'd nearly cried herself to sleep.

Then, just the next morning, she'd heard the news. The wonderful, _glorious _news. Kyo - _her _Kyo - had taken on a group of thugs and saved the day. He'd used Blazefire Saber for the first time in three years and his performance had still been good enough for Ozpin to invite him to Beacon.

Words couldn't describe how happy she'd felt in that moment. The sheer joy… no, _elation _had sent her into a fit of uncontrollable, giddy laughter. He was still there. _Her Kyo_ was still there.

Yang clutched the magazine in her hand, causing the pages to begin crinkling under the pressure. And as she stared at the model on the cover, she swore she would _never _give up on him again.

Hmm… It seems he fancied long, black hair now…

"Hey, Ruby?" she called, fingering her golden locks.

"Yeah?" the red-haired girl glanced at her from where she was busy looking for (and failing to find) information about HF rounds on Kyousuke's computer.

"Do you think I'd look good with black hair?"

* * *

"A table for two, please," Kyousuke said to the hostess as he and Weiss stepped into the quaint little cafe his mother had directed them to.

The girl behind the counter just gaped at him for several moments, her eyes darting between the two teens with a look of awe on her face. Behind him, Weiss twitched in irritation as the moronic girl continued staring at them.

"Well?" she demanded.

"O-Oh!" the girl squeaked. "O-Of course! Right this way!"

As she led them to a vacant table, Kyousuke began to hear several whispers.

"_Wow! Look at that couple!"_

"_They're both so beautiful! I think I'm jealous!"_

Well, that explained the hostess' strange reaction to them. However, with every compliment he heard, there was at least one insult.

"_Damn, that girl is hot!"_

"_The guy she's with though… What does she see in him?"_

"_He must be paying her. It's the only way!"_

"_What a tool…"_

Kyousuke just rolled his eyes. Their pettiness meant absolutely nothing to him. Hell, he'd heard worse from his _classmates_. He was best friends with Yang Xiao Long, after all.

"Hello, there!" another girl walked up to them, a pen and notepad in hand. "I'm Lily. I'll be your waitress today. Can I start by getting the two of you something to drink?"

"An _Ol' King Cold_, please," Kyousuke requested, glancing over the menu.

"Earl Grey tea," Weiss said, staring out the window. "Two lumps of sugar. No cream."

"Got it," their server nodded. "Whenever you're ready to order; just let me know."

"I'm actually ready right now," Kyousuke said, glancing at the girl across from him. "You?" She just nodded. "Well, I'll have the chicken parmesan."

"One chicken parmesan," Lily murmured, jotting it down. "And you?"

Weiss just shrugged, still staring off at nothing in particular. "I'll just have whatever he's having."

"How cute," the waitress beamed. Neither of them said anything. "Your order should be ready in ten to fifteen minutes." Lily turned and strode towards the kitchen, leaving the two teens sitting in uncomfortable silence.

"So," Kyousuke said with an awkward laugh. "Crazy day, huh?" The white-haired girl didn't respond. She merely turned to him and arched a single, delicate eyebrow. "Hey. We just avoided being forced into a loveless marriage. Shouldn't you be happy?"

"My father is upset with me, my mother's memory was trampled on and my family's reputation is in danger of scandal because of you," Weiss said coldly. "And you want me to act _happy?_"

"Because of _me?_" Kyousuke repeated hotly. "If I remember correctly, you were just as against it as I was! Excuse me for trying to be considerate of your feelings!"

"And I… appreciate that," she admitted, somewhat reluctantly. "But you have to realize that sometimes, personal feelings must be put aside."

Kyousuke's eye twitched. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the return of their waitress.

"Hey, you two lovebirds," Lily smiled, completely misreading the atmosphere. "Here are your drinks!"

She placed their beverages before them and winked before taking her leave once again. Neither of them made a move to drink.

"Alright, look," Kyousuke sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I upset your father and I'm sorry if I seemed insensitive about your mother's wishes. But we're stuck together for the next four years. I'd really like for us to at least try and be friends."

"Ha, friends?" Weiss chuckled. "You realize what my father is trying to do, right?"

Kyousuke frowned. "What do you mean?"

"He's still trying to set us up," the white-haired heiress said. "He's been planning this for years. Did you honestly think he'd give up just because you threw a temper tantrum?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted. "But my childish side had hoped otherwise." Kyousuke looked her over curiously. "And you agree with him? You still think we should get married?"

"Yes," she said without hesitation. "Personal feelings aside; it is our best option, most efficient option."

"But shouldn't your feelings take priority?" the black-haired boy prodded. "Why are you so willing to go along with what your father wants?"

"Well..." Weiss sighed, glancing out the window once again. "It's just… after my mother… _passed away_, my father grew... distant from us. He always kept me at arm's length. The only times he would look truly happy was when he would talk about mother. And he always looked happy whenever he talked about our engagement, as well. It was her last wish, after all. He wanted it to be fulfilled."

"..."

"So," The girl took a sip of her tea. "I thought that if I could fulfill that wish for him, he could truly be happy once more."

"Well, if he really loves you," Kyousuke said quietly. "Like every father does, then your happiness is all he needs."

"Hmm," Weiss hummed. "You know, you're not at all like I thought you'd be."

"Oh?"

"Yes," she nodded. "I thought you would be another self-entitled brat that just happened to be in my father's good graces."

"Well, I'm glad I proved that image wrong." Kyousuke chuckled.

"Indeed," Weiss smirked. "You're far dorkier than I imagined."

"Oi!" he exclaimed, but she just laughed his indignation off.

"Well, Kyousuke Kousaka," the heiress began. "Earlier, you stated that you'd like the two of us to be friends, did you not?"

"That I did," Kyousuke nodded. "Have you considered my proposal?"

"I have," Weiss held her hand out, palm facing downward. "And I've deemed it acceptable."

Kyousuke rolled his eyes at her but played along regardless. He gently took her hand and brought it to his lips, laying a chaste kiss upon her knuckles.

As expected, the room burst into whispers once again; its female occupants with squeals of approval and its male occupants with ire.

"_Kyaa~"_

"_They're so cute!"_

"_Lucky bastard…!"_

"_Damn him!"_

Once again, Kyousuke rolled his eyes. If this was how people would act whenever he was with Weiss, then he was in for a long four years.

"Well, well," a voice giggled from behind him. Kyousuke turned to see their waitress balancing two steaming plates of chicken parmesan in her arms. "I'm gone for ten minutes and you two are already going at it?"

He flushed slightly, but didn't dignify her with a response. Lily chuckled and placed their orders in front of them.

"Enjoy, you two," the waitress winked before striding away once again.

"Well," Kyousuke picked up his glass of _Ol' King Cold _and raised it as though in toast. "To the start of a very strange friendship."

"Yes…" Weiss murmured, gently tapping her tea cup against his glass. "Friendship…"

What Kyousuke didn't realize was that, while the white-haired girl had agreed to his friendship, she certainly had _not _given up on their engagement. Regardless of anything that was said or done, her parents' dream was still on the line.

With Kyousuke's current line of thinking, all she had to do was make him fall in love with her. And _that _certainly wouldn't be too difficult. The Schnee family was well known for their charming ways, after all.

* * *

"GOD DAMN IT!" Weiss roared as her character once again suffered a very brutal death. The screen in front of her darkened and displayed the word 'FATALITY' in bright red letters.

"Wow," Kyousuke remarked, struggling not to laugh, lest he draw her wrath. "You're… really bad at this."

The princess threw him a heated glare. He quickly raised his arms in surrender, gently placing his controller back into its slot.

"Why don't we try something else?" the black-haired teen suggested, gesturing towards the many rows of video games.

After their "lunch date" - as Yoshino seemed to think it was - they'd returned to headquarters only to be shooed away by the adults. Svernare told them that they had the rest of the day to themselves and suggested that Kyousuke show Weiss around town, since she'd never had the opportunity to do so on her father's business ventures to the city.

The two were currently at the arcade in downtown Vale - the single biggest gaming center in the city and Kyousuke was just now learning that Weiss had next to no experience with video games.

"That was completely ridiculous!" the heiress huffed, tossing the controller haphazardly back into its slot. "It wasn't even close to a true combat experience! I have half a mind to sue for false advertising!"

"It's just a game, Weiss," Kyousuke chuckled. "A cheap, arcade fighter at that." He strode over to a nearby car-racing game and inserted his scroll. The machine let out a series of beeps as it accepted his credit. "Just sit down here. This is a pretty advanced racing game. The controls are exactly as you would find in a real car, so it shouldn't be too difficult to figure out."

The white-haired girl, however, blinked at all the buttons and levers surrounding her. She then looked up at him, a blank look on her face.

Kyousuke raised an eyebrow. "You've… never driven before?"

"I've never had to!" Weiss snapped, her face flushing in embarrassment. "Usually, Piers just drives me wherever I need to go."

The boy facepalmed and sighed. "Alright…" he pointed at a pedal on the right-hand corner, near her feet. "That's the gas pedal. The one next to it is the brake…"

After nearly ten minutes of explaining the controls to her, the girl was finally ready to go.

"_On your mark!" _the game's announcer called. _"Get set… GO!"_

Weiss slammed on the gas, sending her vehicle hurtling forward only to immediately crash into the sidelines at the first turn.

"_WIPEOUT!"_

The heiress turned and sent Kyousuke a venomous glare, since he was currently facing away from her in a poor attempt to conceal his laughter.

"Not. A. Word." she growled.

"S-Sorry," he chuckled, wiping a tear from his eye. Kyousuke retrieved his scroll and inserted it once more into the machine. "Let's try again. Forget about speed this time. Just focus on keeping your car under control."

Weiss sent him one last glare before returning her attention to the screen. Upon receiving the signal to start, she gently pressed down on the gas and began to steadily move forward.

"Ha," the girl grinned. "This isn't so hard."

"That's because you're only going ten miles an hour," Kyousuke quipped. He chuckled when she deliberately ignored his remark. The two sat in companionable silence for several moments before the black-haired boy decided to change the subject.

"So, you'll be attending Beacon, right?"

"Correct," Weiss said as she made a rather sharp turn, frowning when she ended up crashing into another car.

"Can I ask why?" Kyousuke prodded.

"What do you mean, _why?_" she asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"It's just, well…"

"I don't look the part?" Weiss questioned. Kyousuke shook his head.

"No. I learned a long time ago not to judge a book by its cover," he said. "My best friend is testament enough to that. What I mean is... You're the heiress to a multi-billion Lien company. You're pretty much set for life. Why choose to become a Huntress?"

"...I do it out of obligation," the heiress replied. A slightly haughty smile crossed her face. "I'm a Schnee. For generations, we've always prided ourselves in being the very best. When I found out I could fight, how could I _not _become a Huntress?"

Kyousuke stared at her for several moments. "It's not a game, you know."

"Excuse me?" Weiss questioned, raising an eyebrow at him once more. He looked away, his eyes losing focus slightly.

"You… Yang… Ruby… even Kirino… you all say that you want to become Huntresses," he said softly. "But you always talk about it like it's some kind of game..."

Weiss had no idea who any of these people were, but made no move to interrupt him. Kyousuke made a gesture to all the machines surrounding them.

"In games… you can always just try again later," the boy continued. "But reality doesn't have that kind of luxury. Hunters _especially _don't have that kind of luxury. Because if you make _one _mistake… If you screw up _once… _someone might die."

Neither of them spoke for a while. Weiss seemed to be mulling over his words, while Kyousuke simply stared off into the distance absentmindedly.

"You're right," she said after several minutes of silence. "It's not a game and you'd wrong to think of it as one… but…" Weiss turned and looked him in the eye. "If we do nothing, then people _will _die."

"That's true," Kyousuke chuckled, smiling at her. "So, you really think you're ready to be a Huntress?"

"I _know_ I am," Weiss nodded and stood from her seat. "Better yet… Why don't I show you?"

"Oh?" he looked up at her. "Done playing games?"

"Yes," she nodded once more. "Come with me."

The two teens stood and made their way towards the exit. However, on the way out, Weiss paused to look at something. Kyousuke stopped as well and followed her gaze to see a claw machine filled with Pikachu dolls.

"Ah," the black-haired teen hummed, an amused smirk on his face. "You want one?"

"O-Of course not!" Weiss huffed, grabbing his arm to pull him out of the arcade. "Why would I want something as cheap as that? Let's go."

Her mouth said one thing, but her eyes said another. Kyousuke chuckled slightly and slipped out of her grip. He strode over to the machine.

"Don't!" Weiss exclaimed. "Even _I_ know that those games are always rigged."

Kyousuke simply smiled and inserted his scroll into the machine. Once it accepted his credit, he grabbed the control stick and maneuvered it over a particularly large doll before pressing the 'descend' button.

Out of Weiss' line of vision, he snapped his fingers. A small, almost imperceptible spark of electricity ran through the claw as it clasped onto the Pokemon doll, which let out a similar spark. The claw rose back up, his prize firmly within its grasp and dropped it into the prize bin.

Kyousuke grabbed the plush toy and handed it to the stunned girl. "Games are fun," he said with a small wink. "In moderation."

Weiss flushed slightly, though her lip quirked upwards as she looked over the small gift. "I… Thank you."

"Now, I believe you had something to show me?"

"Ah, y-yes," she nodded quickly, clutching the doll to her chest as she grabbed his arm once again. "Follow me."

* * *

"We're back at headquarters?" Kyousuke questioned as Weiss led him through the halls of the company building.

"Yes," the white-hair girl nodded, her new plush companion still tucked comfortably against her chest. "The Schnee Company has developed some of the most advanced training programs in the world. One of them is here at headquarters."

The two eventually came across a large metallic sliding door. On the left side of the door was an electronic scanner. Weiss placed her scroll upon the scanner and with a loud buzzing noise, the doors opened.

Kyousuke found himself looking into what appeared to be a control room. Various computers and other such machines lined the walls. On the farthest wall was a window that peered into what appeared to be a large, empty room.

A handful of scientists wearing white lab coats were milling about the room. Most of them seemed to be fidgeting nervously.

"Miss Schnee," one woman squeaked. "You called only a few minutes ago. W-We weren't expecting you so soon!"

"Well, here I am regardless," Weiss said, crossing her arms. "Is everything ready?"

"Miss Schnee," the woman began. "Are you certain? The _Giant Armor _only just made it through preliminary testing. It's not scheduled to be released for _months…_"

"Wait, what?" Kyousuke asked, a concerned look on his face.

"It'll be fine," the heiress waved off their worry.

"Weiss, this doesn't exactly seem safe."

"You said it yourself. Hunters don't exactly have a cushy job, Kyousuke," the girl replied, rolling her eyes. "I'll be fine. I've been training for years."

"...Then you won't mind if I accompany you," he said, a neutral expression on his face.

Weiss shrugged. "Suit yourself," she turned to the woman once more. "You brought my equipment, like I asked, right?"

"Yes, Miss Schnee," the woman nodded. "They're in the dressing room."

"You guys wouldn't happen to have any spare clothes, would you?" Kyousuke asked, fingering the suit Rachel had forced him into earlier today. "These look expensive. I don't want to ruin them."

"You… You're Kyousuke Kousaka, right?" the woman questioned. "Professor Yoshino's son?"

"Um… yes?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, your mother had a combat-ready outfit commissioned for you just this morning," she said, smiling slightly. "She already had the clothing in question, so all we needed to do was reinforce the lining. I can send someone for it immediately."

"That… is suspiciously convenient," Kyousuke muttered, thoughts of conspiracy running through his mind. He shook his head. "Can you have Rachel retrieve them? She confiscated my gunblade this morning and I'd like it back."

"Have them bring it to the dressing rooms," Weiss ordered before turning and striding towards a hallway on the other side of the control room. Kyousuke followed after her.

After several minutes of walking, they arrived in a large room with several curtains hanging from the walls.

"I'm going to change first," Weiss said as she strode into one of the dressing areas. "Your mother's secretary should arrive any minute now."

True to her word, the brown-haired woman arrived just a few moments later with a large duffel bag slung over her shoulder.

"Kyousuke," the woman greeted. The teen nodded at her in greeting.

"You brought Blazefire Saber, right?" he questioned.

"I did," Rachel nodded, handing the duffel bag over. "It, along with your new outfit, is in the bag."

"Thanks," Kyousuke said as he turned and strode over to one of the dressing rooms.

"And Kyousuke!" the brunette called after him. "Your mother wanted me to tell you something before you get changed."

"My mom?" the boy asked in surprise.

"She says '_Don't be angry with me_'," Rachel repeated her employer's message. "Does that mean anything to you?"

"I guess we'll see," Kyousuke sighed. "Thanks again."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Weiss smoothed over the creases in her dress before stepping out of the room. She now wore her signature icy-blue bolero jacket over a white one-piece dress. She'd also exchanged her sandals for a pair of platform, high-heel boots. And hanging from her hip was her signature weapon; the Multi Action Dust Rapier, Myrtenaster.

She glanced around the room to see it empty, though she heard shuffling sounds coming from a nearby stall. It seemed that Kyousuke was still busy changing.

Shrugging, the white-haired girl made her way back to the control room, where the scientists and - to her surprise - her father and Yoshino were waiting.

"Father," Weiss greeted, giving a polite curtsy. "Professor Kousaka."

"There's no need to be so formal, sweetheart!" Yoshino laughed. "Just call me Yoshino or Mrs. Kousaka, if you must." Her eyes glanced downward and raised an eyebrow at what she saw. "And what's this?"

Weiss blinked at her in confusion before realizing that Yoshino was staring at her hand. She glanced down and saw the stupid Pikachu doll dangling in her grip.

Her face flushing, Weiss quickly hid it behind her back. She hadn't even realized she was still holding it! "I, er, this isn't…"

"Did Kyousuke give that to you?" her father smirked. "Wonderful! I take it your relationship is moving along well?"

"I-I suppose," she muttered. Svernare nodded in satisfaction, but frowned, however, upon realizing that said boy was nowhere in sight.

"And… where is he?"

Weiss frowned as well and glanced back towards the dressing rooms. "Now that you mention it, he _has _been in there for quite a while. What's taking him so long?"

"I imagine he's still trying to come to grips with the situation," Yoshino said, somewhat demurely.

"What do you mean?"

The brunette turned in the direction of the dressing room. "Well…"

* * *

Kyousuke frowned as he stared himself over in the mirror. It was like he was looking at a window into the past.

He currently wore a black, leather, jacket over a white, deep v-neck t-shirt that parted down the middle of his chest. The jacket had white fur draping across the collar and fit snugly around his torso.

Covering his legs was a pair of dark black pants that also had strips of white fur on both sides of his hips. Wrapped around his hips was a dark brown belt with a silver, lion-shaped buckle that Yang had gotten him for a birthday long past. She'd said that it '_looked cute_'. Several extra belts were used to secure a pouch containing gunblade magazines to his right leg, which he partially covered with a black sash.

On each hand was a pair of ultra-thin, black leather gloves. His feet were likewise covered by a pair of black boots. And as always, Blazefire Saber was slung across his lower back in its holster.

The entire ensemble was something Kyousuke would have worn three years ago. Hell, he was pretty sure that the jacket was the very same one he once favored. He'd asked his mother to dispose of them some time ago, but it seemed that she'd held on to some and had them fitted to match his older form.

The outfit suited his former, cocky self quite well, but nowadays was far too flashy for his tastes. He fingered the jacket once before glaring down at the expensive three-piece suit he'd been wearing earlier.

But, regardless, this outfit was made to be combat-ready. It would have to do for now.

Kyousuke heaved a world-weary sigh and strode out of the dressing room. A glance around told him that Weiss had already left, so he quickly made his way back to the control room.

He found the white-haired girl waiting for him along with both of their parents. As he strode in, the room turned to stare at him. Svernare glanced at his daughter and smirked.

The girl had a flushed look on her face as she stared at him. He looked good in black, she noted. Her eyes also caught sight of two silver studs in his ears. Weiss had never noticed that he had pierced ears. Her gaze fell to his partially-exposed chest and (after she fought her flush down) noticed a silver, abstract symbol in the form of a pendant around his neck.

Kyousuke himself was either oblivious to the attention or simply ignoring it. He glared at his mother, who began whistling innocently.

"So, don't get angry, huh?" he asked her.

"If it makes you feel better," Yoshino offered. "I think you look quite dashing in it. It would have been a shame to just throw it away. Right, Weiss?"

Wordlessly, the girl nodded. Kyousuke rolled his eyes. "Whatever." He crossed his arms. "So, how is this all going to work?"

"Well," the female scientist from earlier spoke up. "The _Giant Armor_ is waiting in the training hall. Once you're ready to begin, we'll activate it remotely."

"Alright then," the boy glanced at his white-haired companion. "You ready?"

Weiss nodded. "Let's go." She walked passed him and down the hallway once more with Kyousuke not far behind.

Once they were out of sight, Svernare sighed and stood up from where he was leaning against the control panel, revealing the Pikachu doll. His daughter had made him watch over the plush toy in her absence. Honestly, less than half an hour and she was already so protective over it.

"Your son has quite a way with girls," he remarked dryly.

"Believe me, I know," Yoshino chuckled. "But he, of course, is completely oblivious of his affect on them."

Svernare simply sighed, shaking his head as he turned towards the bulletproof window where their children were just coming into view.

* * *

"Seriously, though," Kyousuke remarked. "A dress?"

"It's a combat skirt!" Weiss snapped. "And I'll have you know-"

"Weiss, calm down," he chuckled. "I was kidding. I know. Skirts - while some might think them out of place on a battlefield - provide a remarkable range of motion in combat. The downside is that they might end up getting snagged when fighting in or traveling through rugged terrain."

The heiress blinked. "Uh… yes," she coughed. "That's it precisely. You seem to be quite knowledgeable."

"One of my friend's outfit of choice is a red and black dress," Kyousuke explained. "And, she's explained this to me many, _many _times, so I like to think that I know what I'm talking about."

Weiss opened her mouth to inquire further, but was interrupted by the female scientist's voice speaking up over the intercom.

"Commencing battle simulation in T-minus thirty seconds!"

The white-haired girl quickly schooled her features and raised Myrtenaster, holding it perpendicular to her body in a fencing position. In her peripheral vision, she could see Kyousuke unsheathing his gunblade.

The room lit up with overhanging lights, revealing their opponent. An absolutely massive suit of medieval armor knelt before them. Bright red lights began to glow from beneath the robot's helmet, signaling its activation.

"Five seconds!" the woman's voice called.

The Giant Armor slowly stood to its full height. At over two stories tall, it easily towered above them. Kyousuke let out a deep breath, his grip over Blazefire Saber tightening.

"Begin!"

The armored knight drew a massive broadsword from behind its back and immediately swung at them in downward arc.

Weiss flipped backwards while Kyousuke dove to the side, falling into a roll as he did so. He shifted Blazefire Saber into Assault Mode and began raining bullets upon the knight. But his assault proved ineffective, as the standard ammunition simply bounced off its armor.

The white-garbed girl, flicked her wrist, causing a white glyph to appear at her feet. The glyph sent her hurtling forward, her rapier extended. Sensing her rapid approach, robotic knight nimbly deflected her thrust with its own blade. Weiss didn't allow it time to follow through however, and ducked through its legs to its other side, slashing at it as she went.

The knight immediately swiveled around, swinging its blade in a wide arc as it did so. Weiss leapt up, dodging the strike and moved in once again.

Kyousuke quickly ejected the useless magazine and inserted one filled with fire-based Dust rounds. Weiss stabbed at their cybernetic foe, but its armor proved too thick to pierce. Reacting fast, she fell back to avoid a well-timed kick.

Her partner immediately took the opportunity she'd created and opened fire once again. It appeared that somehow the knight knew he'd switched ammo, and quickly brought up its sword to block the incoming storm of fiery lead.

Weiss, seeing her opening, charged forward once more, stabbing and slashing at the robot's joints. All too soon, however, Kyousuke's magazine was emptied. The knight quickly seized the opportunity and thrust its arm out, landing a direct hit on the surprised heiress.

"Shit!" Kyousuke shouted as the white-haired girl was sent flying across the room. Moving quickly, he rushed forward. The knight immediately closed in on the dazed girl as she attempted to regain her footing.

Weiss looked upward, her eyes widening as the knight's gigantic sword came down upon her. She felt all the breath leave her body as she felt something impacting her stomach, sending her hurtling backwards.

A loud _boom_ echoed across the room and the knight's blade was embedded deeply into the ground. Weiss blinked up at the ceiling, feeling no pain. She quickly glanced down to see a mass of black panting next to her.

Kyousuke clutched at his forehead, glancing behind him to see the knight removing its sword from the ground.

"Y-You're bleeding," Weiss pointed out, seeing the droplets of red leaking past his gloved hand.

"I got hit by some debris," he remarked dryly, gesturing toward her left eye. "You don't look so hot yourself." The heiress patted the spot and felt something warm and wet. He was right.

"Our auras should have protected us from the brunt of it," she murmured. "But if we're bleeding this much, they'll likely scar."

"We'll worry about that later," Kyousuke said, picking up his gunblade and shifting it into Blade Mode. "But first, we need to take this thing down."

"Kyousuke," Weiss spoke up, prompting him to turn to her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

The girl gestured towards the robot, who was brandishing its sword in a wild manner. "Look at its movements," she said. "See how it's jerking around erratically? It's malfunctioning."

"So… that means…?"

"All bets are off," Weiss said, her eyes hardening. "This isn't practice any more. If we're not careful, that thing will kill us."

"Can't they just shut it off?" he asked.

"If they could, they would have done so already." She shook her head. "We have to take it down. Now."

"Agreed." Kyousuke murmured. "But that armor may prove to be a problem. We've been giving it hell, but it's not even _scratched_."

"It was designed to be nearly impervious to all forms of attack," Weiss said. "Standard weapons aren't going to cut it. I thought my Myrtenaster would be up to the challenge, but as you can see..."

"Then, it's a good thing my Blazefire Saber isn't a standard weapon." The boy smirked slightly. "I'll need to get close to it, though. Think you can cover me?"

"I can." The heiress nodded. Kyousuke nodded back.

"On my count," he murmured. Weiss raised her rapier once again. "Three… two… ONE!"

Kyousuke charged forward, Blazefire Saber held firmly within his grasp. From behind him, Kyousuke heard Weiss activate one of her glyphs and a wide assortment of different elemental Dust attacks began flying overhead, slamming into the mad knight.

The robot raised its sword, slashing wildly in an attempt to strike them. Kyousuke ducked beneath its blade and shifted his finger. A loud explosion rang throughout the training hall as he pulled the trigger of his gunblade.

Immediately, it began to resonate with high frequency vibrations. Kyousuke slipped beneath the behemoth and swung his blade, aiming for the knight's sword arm. However, the robot quickly raised its left arm, sacrificing it to protect itself.

The robot let out a harsh noise, as though enraged and swung its sword in a wide arc. The teen raised his gunblade and attempted to parry the attack, only to nearly be sent flying. Falling into a roll, he grit his teeth as the knight pounced upon him.

Suddenly, a white blur slammed into the robot's torso, forcing it back. Weiss landed beside him deftly and raised Myrtenaster once more, causing a white glyph to appear at the tip of her blade. Icicles shot out from the glyph like bullets, landing direct hits on the knight's legs and remaining arm. Thick columns of ice formed where the icicles struck, freezing it solid.

"Now!" Weiss shouted. Kyousuke nodded and dashed forward. With a great roar, the knight ripped its arm free and swung its blade at him in a downward arc.

The black-haired boy deftly leapt aside, allowing it to embed itself in the ground. Seizing the opening, Kyousuke leapt atop the blade and ran along its length.

He pulled the trigger once more, and jumped, slicing the knight's sword arm from its body before grabbing onto its helmet. Beneath him, the robot thrashed violently, nearly causing him to lose his grip. With a grunt, he hauled himself onto its shoulders and pulled the trigger one final time. Snarling, he sliced its head clean off, exposing the circuitry within.

Twirling his gunblade into a stabbing position, he grunted out a single word.

"_Spark!_"

Immediately, Blazefire Saber came alive, with electricity rolling off its blade in grand waves. His eyes took on an electric-blue glow and with a great roar, he thrust his blade downward, sending several thousand volts of electricity coursing through the robot's body.

The knight gave one last shuddering heave before collapsing; its circuitry completely fried. Kyousuke pulled his gunblade free and leapt off.

However, as the boy landed, his vision flooded and a feeling of vertigo overcame him. He nearly fell over if not for Weiss catching him.

"You okay?" she asked softly. He could vaguely hear the scientists calling for a medic in the background, but he paid them no mind.

"Hah," he exhaled. "It's been a long time since I've done something like that."

"What _was _that?" Weiss questioned.

"That was my semblance," Kyousuke said. "I can generate and control electricity. I figure that those glyphs are your semblance?"

The heiress nodded, her face thoughtful. "Back at the arcade… I thought I was imagining things, but… I saw some electricity when you were using the claw machine."

"Haha," the black-haired teen chuckled. "There are quite a few things I can do with my semblance. That was me imbuing them with two opposite electric charges. Negative for the claw and positive for the doll."

"So you _cheated!_" Weiss accused, though her tone was playful.

Kyousuke winked at her just as the medics finally arrived. "Don't tell anyone."

* * *

"I want to apologize again," Svernare said solemnly as they stood next to Yoshino's car.

"Hey, I'm the one that insisted I help her," Kyousuke shrugged.

He now sported a white bandage over the new scar on his forehead. Thankfully, his bangs would be able to cover it well enough. Weiss was sporting a similar bandage over her left eye, which - unfortunately - could not be hidden quite as well.

"Malfunction or otherwise," he continued. "I knew what I was getting myself into."

Behind him, the sun was just beginning to set. It was getting late and the two Kousakas still had some grocery shopping to do before they went home.

"Still," the white-haired man said. "Once again; I am sorry. And thank you for standing by my daughter's side."

"No problem, sir." The boy nodded before turning to the girl in question. "By the way, where will you be staying until we go to Beacon? And is there a specific way you'd like for me to contact you?"

The Schnee duo just stared at him in confusion for several moments before realization dawned on their faces.

"That's right," Weiss muttered. "Your mother never told you anything…"

"Ah, well," Svernare chuckled, clapping him on the shoulder. "You'll figure it out soon enough."

Kyousuke blinked, his face settling into a confused frown. He opened his mouth to question them, but was interrupted by his mother.

"Kyousuke, let's get going!" Yoshino called from the driver's seat. The teen shook his head and sighed. He shook hands with Svernare and - to his surprise - was hugged by Weiss before he entered the passenger seat.

They waved at the two Schnee before taking off down the road. The mother/son pair was silent for several moments. It wasn't until they pulled into the supermarket parking lot that the brunette spoke up.

"Kyousuke," Yoshino began, prompting him to turn to her. "I just want to let you know how proud I am of you."

"Mom?" the teen questioned. "Where's this coming from?"

"From the way you stood up for what you believed in," the woman continued. "To the way you selflessly protected Weiss. You really proved yourself today."

Kyousuke just shrugged. "Anyone would have done the same were they in the same position."

"No, they wouldn't," Yoshino shook her head. "What you did today took courage. A special kind of courage that not everyone has."

He sighed. "Mom…"

"That's all I wanted to say," the brunette smiled. "Now, come on. Poor Yang and Ruby have been waiting for us all day. I say that we apologize by preparing a grand feast for them and to do that, we need food!"

Kyousuke rolled his eyes but followed after her as they made their way towards the market.

* * *

After finishing their grocery shopping, the two Kousakas finally made their way home. However, something was not quite right…

"Hey," Kyousuke spoke up, suspicion seeping into his voice. "Why is there a moving van outside?"

Yoshino, meanwhile, had frozen. "Ah," she murmured. "That's right." The woman shook her head and threw him a cheery smile. "Well, I'm going to head in. Could you grab the groceries?"

"Wait, you never answered-" he sighed as she ignored him and strode into the house. Grumbling slightly, he opened the backseat door and grabbed the grocery bags.

Kyousuke closed the car door and made his way towards the house. He frowned however, as he heard the sound of several people arguing inside. As he approached the front door, it swung open and a large, gruff-looking man strode out with an irate expression on his face.

"Hey, kid," the man grunted. "I take it you're Kyousuke?"

"Y-Yes…?"

The man patted him on the shoulder. "I don't envy you." He shook his head pityingly before brushing past him and hopping into the moving van. Kyousuke watched it drive off before turning back towards the door. Taking a deep breath and counting to ten, he entered the house.

"I'm back…" Kyousuke called out half-heartedly. The voices were steadily growing louder and louder. Kyousuke dropped the bags off and warily opened the door to the living room.

What he saw made him immediately want to close it again. The atmosphere of the room felt like a war-zone of some kind. On one side of the room was Yang and Ruby, glaring fiercely at their opponent.

On the other side was…

"Weiss?!" Kyousuke choked out. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

There she stood, glaring at his two friends just as venomously as they did to her. In the corner, Kyousuke spotted his father calmly reading a newspaper, looking for all the world as though things like this happened every day.

"Kyo!" Yang snapped. "What the hell is going on? Ice Princess here just barges in with her U-Haul lackeys, throws my stuff away and moves her own crap into my room!"

"It's not _your_ room," Weiss snapped. "Professor Kousaka specifically told me that it was a guest room!"

"It might as well be my room!" Yang growled.

"Weiss, why are you here?" Kyousuke asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"You mean your mother _still _hasn't told you?" she demanded. "Didn't you see the moving van outside? Obviously, I'm going to be staying here until we go to Beacon."

"What?!" he choked. "Why?!"

"Because your mother offered," Weiss said simply.

"Why does _no one_ tell me these things?!" Kyousuke shouted. He turned and glared at her. "And why did you kick Yang out of her… the guest room? We have plenty of others."

"Because it's the closest one to yours, of course." The girl sniffed. "Honestly. Less than twenty-four hours and you're already cheating on me?"

"_Cheating?!_" Yang roared. "What do you mean _cheating?!_"

"Weiss, I thought we agreed that we were only going to be friends," Kyousuke sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose once more. He winced, however, when he accidentally rubbed his wound.

Yang, it seemed, just now spotted the bandage on his face. Her anger quickly melted away and was replaced by concern. "Kyo, what happened?"

"Just a scuffle," he said tiredly. Yang opened her mouth to prod further, but was interrupted by Ruby.

"Whoa!" the redhead exclaimed. "I like the new look, Bro!"

The blonde did a double take. Her eyes widened as she realized just what he was wearing.

"K-Kyo…!" Yang muttered, drinking in his appearance. It was like a blast from the past.

"Honestly, I think it's a little too flashy," Kyousuke said, looking himself over in distaste.

"No way!" Ruby grinned, throwing him a thumbs-up. "It looks great!"

"Whatever," Kyousuke sighed. He could feel the beginnings of a headache creeping through his skull. "Look. A lot has happened today. I'll explain it all later. But for now, can we all just calm down and-"

"I'm home!" another voice called out. Kyousuke immediately paled.

Kirino stepped into the room, freezing when she noticed the sheer number of people inside. She stared at all the room's occupants, her gaze landing squarely on Weiss before turning to Kyousuke with a glare.

"You brought another of your bimbo girlfriends home?" she asked, a look of disgust crossing her face.

Kyousuke could only groan as this sparked yet another shouting match between all four girls. As he slowly collapsed into a nearby chair, he could only think one thing.

'_I just want my normal life back!'_

* * *

**A/N: Well, that was certainly interesting. This was a pretty long chapter. A lot happened. Were you able to keep up? **

**If you want to know what Kyousuke's combat outfit looks like, there is a (poorly photoshopped) full-body image of him wearing it in his image gallery on my Google Site.**

**To find it, go to my profile. Click on the link under "I Can't Be a Huntsman". Find Kyousuke under "Characters". On the right side of his profile, there is a link to his image gallery.**

**Final Fantasy fans should recognize it immediately.**

**I've also got an image of Kirino's battle outfit if you're interested. Just go to her image gallery. Follow the same process as above, only with Kirino.**

**It's also from Final Fantasy. Can you guess which one?**

**Anyway, please leave your comments below and as always, thanks for reading!**

**-Your King**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **_**Some of you may have noticed, but I've retconned the name of Weiss' mother. Before, it was Bianca (Italian for "white") . I have changed it to Yuki (Japanese for "snow").**_

* * *

Kyousuke listlessly shuffled into his bedroom. He gently closed the door behind him before collapsing onto his bed.

"Bed..." he grunted, his voice muffled by the pillow. "I'm never leaving you again."

Although the statement seemed ridiculous, he meant every word. After dealing with Kirino, Yang and Weiss all at the same time, any man would feel the same.

He'd managed to avert a _total _disaster by explaining his situation as best he could, but the damage was still pretty severe. To say that Yang and Weiss disliked each other was like saying fire was hot. The two were like oil and water, constantly clashing with one another.

And it was clear that the white-haired heiress had not endeared herself to Ruby either. While there was no open hostility between them, Weiss' holier-than-thou attitude seemed to rub the redhead the wrong way.

And then, there was Kirino. Like Ruby, she showed no outward hostility towards their new housemate. But her passive-aggressive behavior towards the heiress was obvious, even to him.

They managed to get through his 'celebratory dinner' without any bloodshed, though Kyousuke feared it was only a matter of time.

'_We'll be back tomorrow,'_ Yang had promised, though it was more of a declaration, as she'd said this while staring directly at Weiss. The white-haired princess had just glared right back at her in response.

After dinner, Kirino had trudged upstairs with only an obligatory 'thanks for the food', ignoring Kyousuke and Weiss completely. The heiress, after bidding him a soft 'goodnight' had likewise retired to her new room and had not been seen since.

The black-haired boy glanced at his clock to see that it was only 9:00PM. But factoring in his current exhaustion, Kyousuke saw no reason not to turn in early himself.

Flicking the lights off, he stretched out and closed his eyes…

_CRACK_

"Gah!" Kyousuke cried, feeling his cheek sting from the impact of a slap. He blearily opened his eyes to see the hazy outline of his sister hovering above him. "Kirino?!" He glanced at the clock to see it was 12:30. He'd only been asleep for a few hours. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I need life counseling." Was all she said before getting off him and leaving.

The black-haired boy sighed and glared at the ceiling for several moments. He mentally debated just going back to sleep, but figured Kirino would exact terrible vengeance on him if he did.

Sighing one more time, he forced himself up and made his way towards his sister's room.

* * *

"You mean you _still _haven't made any progress?!" Kirino demanded as she looked over his save file of _Rabu Rabu Imouto_.

"What do you expect?" Kyousuke growled. "I've been out all day. And do you really think I'd play an eroge with Yang, Ruby _and _Weiss all in the house?"

"Well, you'd better get your ass in gear," the girl sniffed. "There are others waiting in line."

"You're lending it to someone else?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "If that's the case, go ahead and lend it to them. I'll finish it after they're done, so-"

"No!" Kirino snapped. "I mean there are other _games _after _this _one!"

"W-What?" Kyousuke nearly whimpered. "Why?! Why do I have to play _more _of them?!"

"There's no way you can grasp the full beauty of the genre after just one game," his little sister said haughtily. "Let me tell you; this is just the tip of the iceberg. You've only just begun down the righteous path of eroge."

'_Righteous path?' _he mentally bemoaned. _'When did I start?!'_

"Give me a break…" Kyousuke muttered. "If you want to talk about it so badly, why don't you just go talk to your friends? Why does it have to be _me?_"

Kirino gave no answer. She simply stared at him, her brows furrowing.

"You… don't have any friends that are into this stuff, do you?" he asked, realization dawning on his face.

"It… It's not like I haven't _tried…_" she muttered, turning away from him. "There were a couple people in my class that were into otaku stuff… But every time I tried to approach them, I'd get cold feet."

Kyousuke stared at her for several moments. So, _that _was why she wanted him to play these games. Kirino wanted to share her passions, but she had no one to talk to. For all her friends and popularity… she was alone in a crowd.

"I see…" Kyousuke murmured, standing and striding over to her.

"You see what?" Kirino asked in confusion. He stepped next to her and adjusted her laptop so that it was facing him.

"You said you wanted life counseling, right?" he questioned, smiling slightly. "Well, here's my counsel. You want talk to someone who shares the same hobbies with you, right? Someone that will be able to keep up with you in anime, games or eroge, even if you go all-out."

"So… you want me to go makes friends with otakus?" Kirino looked down. "But… if I'm seen with them… People might think I'm weird."

"Well, you _are_ pretty weird…" Kyousuke agreed. He jumped aside as Kirino attempted to jab him in the ribs. "I'm kidding. I told you, remember? I won't judge you for your hobbies… But what about _you?_ Why are you so hesitant to be grouped together with people who are share the same interests?"

"That's just the way society is!" she snapped. "They belittle and look down on people like them… Like _me_. I don't want to lose all my friends because they think I'm weird!"

"Kirino," Kyousuke shook his head. "If they leave you because of something like this, then they weren't really your friends to begin with."

His little sister bit her lip and turned away from him. Finally, after several minutes of silence, she nodded.

"Alright." She turned her gaze back towards him. "What are you planning?"

"To check out some social networking sites," Kyousuke said as he surfed the web on Kirino's computer. "They're a good place to start if you're looking for people that share your interests. One of these groups _must _be an otaku group. Maybe they'll even meet IRL every once in a while."

"A-An IRL meeting?" Kirino almost squeaked. "B-But… I don't want to be alone with a bunch of sweaty otaku guys! I mean, I can handle myself, but..."

"Yeah," the teen muttered. "That _is _a concern…" He clicked on a link. "Wait. Here we go."

Kirino leaned over his shoulder and read.

"Otaku Girls Unite?" she repeated the words on the screen. Kyousuke sent a request to join the group and was surprised to see a reply just a few minutes afterwards.

'_Greetings, Kiririn-sama. _(As that was Kirino's online handle)_ My name is Saori and I am the administrator of the community "Otaku Girls Unite". Thank you very much for your request to join. Of course we will gladly approve of your membership. I have a great feeling that we can be the best of friends as two individuals of similar age and interests.'_

"She seems nice," the black-haired boy remarked. "Very polite."

'_Though this may seem abrupt, we currently have a tea party scheduled for this weekend._ _While we would be honored if you would attend, we understand if this is too soon for you. Should you elect to join us, the party will be held at noon this Saturday at the Cure Maid Cafe in the commercial district. Regards from Saori-'_

"Vagina?!" Kyousuke cried out in shock.

"No, you idiot!" Kirino snapped. "It's pronounced _Bajeena_. It's a _Gundam _reference."

"A-Ah," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "S-Sorry. So, what do you think? Are you going to attend?"

"I don't know…" she murmured. "This is all happening a little fast…"

"You might as well get it over with," Kyousuke pointed out. "No sense dragging it out."

"...Fine."

"Alright, then-"

"But you're going with me!"

"What? Why?!"

"Because this was your idea in the first place!" Kirino snapped. "Besides… If I go by myself… I might end up getting cold feet again. I need you to make sure that doesn't happen."

"But this is a _girl's_ group," Kyousuke pointed out. "I can't just show up uninvited."

"You could cross-dress." the girl suggested.

"Hell, no!" he roared. "And they'd see through that in a second!"

"Tch, that's true…" Kirino glared at him. "Why couldn't you have been a bishounen-type?"

"Shut up," Kyousuke growled. He sighed, sagging slightly in defeat. "But, I guess this _was _my idea... Alright, how's this? I know the cafe she was talking about. I've walked passed it dozens of times while hanging out with Yang. There's a secluded spot right across the street from it. I'll keep an eye on you from there."

"Like some kind of creepy stalker?" she demanded.

"Hey, that's the best idea I've got!" he snapped. "Take it or leave it!"

Kirino glared at him for several moments before sighing. "Fine." She glanced at the her clock to see that it was almost 2:00AM. "It's late. I've got to meet up with some of my friends tomorrow, so I should get some sleep."

And with that, she shooed him out of her room. With a weary sigh, Kyousuke returned to his own bedroom.

* * *

The next time he awoke, it was to the ringing of his alarm clock rather than a slap to the face. At this point, which he would have prefered was debatable. With a groan, Kyousuke turned and glared at the device.

He mentally debated frying it with a spark of electricity, but figured his parents wouldn't be too happy about replacing yet _another _one.

So, with what was truly _Herculean _effort, Kyousuke hauled himself out of bed and, grumbling to himself, he switched the alarm off. He yawned slightly, stretching himself out.

"_AAAAAAAHHHH!_" A high-pitched scream pierced through the otherwise silent house. Kyousuke's eyes widened. That had sounded like Weiss!

The teen wasted no time darting out of his room and down the hallway. He quickly rounded the corner to see a shell-shocked Kirino sitting next to the bathroom door, murmuring to herself.

"I-I can't believe it…"

"Kirino!" Kyousuke said, kneeling down and grasping her by the shoulders. "What happened?"

He noticed that the girl had a strange red mark on her face, but he paid it no heed. Kirino didn't answer him.

"T-They were _huge…_" she whispered, her eyes staring straight through him. "How is that even possible…? They looked tiny yesterday..."

"Kirino!" the boy growled. "Snap out of it! Where is Weiss?"

Silently, Kirino turned towards the bathroom door. Kyousuke's eyes narrowed and he rushed towards it.

"Weiss!" he cried, throwing it open. "Is everything… okay…?"

Kyousuke trailed off as he found himself face to face with a near-naked Weiss; the only article of clothing on her body being a pair of light-blue panties. The two stared at each other for several moments before…

"_Kyaaa!_" the white-haired girl cried, diving into a squat while simultaneously covering her surprisingly large breasts.

Ah. So _that's _what Kirino had been talking about.

"I - ah - er…"

"What is _wrong _with you people?!" Weiss shouted. "Don't you know how to _knock?_"

He honestly didn't know what to say other than… "S-Sorry?"

"Just get out!" Kyousuke didn't have enough time to react before...

_CRACK_

* * *

"I said I was sorry," Kyousuke grumbled, rubbing the bright red slap-mark on his cheek. Kirino sat beside him, her own slap-mark just now starting to fade.

"Sorry doesn't fix everything!" Weiss snapped from her seat on his other side.

"I still can't believe it…" Kirino muttered, her breakfast sitting only half-eaten before her. "She was _flat _yesterday…"

"That's because I wear a corset!" the heiress growled. "Not that it's any of your business!"

"My, my!" Yoshino giggled from across the table. "Things sure have gotten lively around here, haven't they?"

"Un," Daisuke grunted as he read the morning paper.

"Really, though, Professor," Weiss huffed. "Why does this house have no locks on its doors?"

"Hmm," Yoshino hummed. "Well, in our ancestral culture - in the Far East - it was believed that the community should come before the individual. And while that line of thinking had mostly faded, traces can still be felt in modern times. We have no locks as a sign of faith and trust in one another."

"Well, while this is certainly _fascinating_," Kirino stood, having quickly finished her meal as their mother spoke. "I've got to go meet up with my friends. Thank you for the food."

"You're welcome," the brunette smiled. "And stay safe!"

"Don't worry," The girl waved her concern off. She then gestured towards an object wrapped in white cloth that was propped up against the wall beside her. "I'll bring Starseeker with me."

As Kirino left, Weiss turned to him, a curious expression crossing her face. "Starseeker?" she questioned.

"Kirino's weapon of choice," Kyousuke explained. "It's a bowsword."

"So, like your gunblade but with a bow, rather than a gun?"

"Pretty much," he nodded. "And with a longsword instead a saber."

Suddenly, however, Kirino slammed the door open as she re-entered the room, prompting its occupants to turn to her in shock.

"This is all _your _fault!" she snapped, glaring at Kyousuke fiercely.

"Just what are you going on about now?" he demanded.

"This!" Kirino moved aside, revealing a familiar blonde bombshell standing behind her.

"Hey, Kousaka family!" Yang grinned. "And Ice Queen." She added in a bored tone; almost as an afterthought.

Now, this in itself was hardly unusual. Over the years, the girl had formed a habit of showing up at any given time of the day. No, what _was _unusual was the rather large suitcase currently sitting at her feet.

"Yang…" Kyousuke muttered, glancing at Weiss. A feeling of dread built up in the pit of his stomach as the heiress stared at the other girl with barely concealed contempt. "W-What's with the suitcase?"

"What, your mom didn't tell you?" the blonde questioned. "I asked her yesterday if I could stay here until we head out to Beacon."

"Well," Daisuke suddenly spoke up, folding his newspaper and placing it in the crook of his arm. "I'd better get going. I'm needed down at the station."

He gave his wife a quick peck on the cheek before beating a hasty retreat.

'_You coward!' _Kyousuke mentally roared. Out loud, he growled at his mother. "Why do you _never _tell me anything?!"

"Ahaha!" Yoshino chuckled, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "It slipped my mind. I told her it was fine as long as her father agreed."

"And he did!" Yang grinned. "On one condition, though." She pointed behind her, where Kyousuke just now noticed Ruby shuffling about. "Ruby has to chaperone us."

The redhead gave them an awkward wave. "Hi…"

"Chaperone?" Kirino demanded incredulously. "Who's the older sibling here?!"

"You can't be serious!" Weiss snapped. "What are your true motives, you barbarian?"

"You didn't really think we'd let you stay here with Kyo all by yourself, did you?" Yang asked, throwing her a very malicious grin.

"Of course," the heiress sniffed. "We're _engaged_."

"In a _fake _engagement," the blonde bombshell countered. "As far as I'm concerned, you're just two strangers who happen to be sharing living space. As Kyo's _childhood friend_, it's my job to make sure you don't try and steal his virtue in the middle of the night."

Kyo's virtue was _hers _to take, after all!

"How dare you!" Weiss shrieked. "I'm not some scarlet woman!"

Kyousuke, Kirino and Ruby watched the two continue to argue back and forth. Had this been an anime, Kyousuke was sure there would be sparks flying between their eyes.

"Well," Ruby said, letting out an awkward cough. "I'll just… bring our bags upstairs."

"I'll help," Kyousuke sighed. He turned to Kirino. "Don't you have to go meet up with your friends?"

His sister sent him a dirty glare, but nodded reluctantly. "Yeah," Kirino muttered before glaring at him one final time. "Just make sure that when you start banging, it's in _your _room, pervert."

"Damn it!" he growled. "I'm not - Ugh." Kyousuke groaned as she simply ignored him and walked out the front door. He glared at the door for several moments before grabbing Yang's suitcase and making his way upstairs. Ruby followed him with her own bags.

"Kirino didn't look very happy," the redhead said quietly.

"She just doesn't like it when things are out of her control," Kyousuke shrugged. "She'll get over it eventually."

Ruby half-grimaced, clearly not believing him. "No," the girl murmured, shaking her head. "She's never really liked us. I've tried to be friendly with her, but… I don't understand why she seems to hate me so much."

"Well, whatever it is," he said as they dropped the bags off in one of the guest rooms. "It's her problem; not yours. You didn't do anything to warrant that kind of behavior."

The red-haired girl smiled slightly. "Thanks," she muttered. "About the incident on the roof two nights ago, too. We never finished that conversation, did we?"

"There's nothing _to _finish, Ruby," Kyousuke smiled, patting her on the shoulder. "You're like my little sister. You and Yang are practically family. I'd do anything to keep you safe."

"A-Ah," Ruby stuttered. Her face flushed slightly and she averted eye contact. "Like that game you were playing? Cause Yang said -er…"

"No!" Kyousuke squeaked, his face turning red. "Not like that! And I told you, that game wasn't mine!"

"Ah…" the girl wasn't sure how to feel about that. "J-Just forget I asked!"

The two stood in awkward silence for several moments before Kyousuke let out a cough. "W-We should get back down there before they destroy the house."

"Y-yeah."

The two teens made their way back downstairs, where it seemed the argument was beginning to die down.

"Just stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours," Weiss said coldly, as they re-entered the room.

"Agreed," Yang nodded. "So, you just stay in _my _former room and away from Kyo."

The white-haired girl looked ready to snap back at her, but was interrupted by Kyousuke's mother, much to his and Ruby's relief.

"Ah, that's right. Weiss?" Yoshino called out from where she was washing dishes. "Your father's birthday is coming up in a few weeks. Have you gotten him a gift yet?"

"Your dad's birthday?" Kyousuke questioned as he took a seat at the table.

The heiress nodded. "Yes, he'll be turning forty this year," she said. "I had hoped my gift for him would be a wedding," Weiss sent a glare at Kyousuke and _especially _Yang, who was looking far too smug for her tastes. "But it seems that that's no longer possible."

"Hah," Kyousuke smiled sheepishly. "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"I hope so," Weiss said. "It needs to be prepared in time for the gala."

"Gala?" Ruby asked curiously. "What's that?"

"It's a formal celebration, celebrated by those of the higher circles," the heiress said pompously, looking down her nose at the redhead. "Commoners wouldn't understand."

Ruby glared at her.

"It's a party for stiff-legged rich folk," Yang translated, casually leaning back in her chair. "Total drag if you ask me."

"Well, no one asked you!" Weiss snapped before turning to Kyousuke. "You know how to waltz, correct?"

"Huh?" He blinked. "Why?"

"Because you'll need to know," she spoke as though this were obvious. "We'll be going together, after all."

"Wait, _what?!_" both Kyousuke and Yang shouted.

"Why am _I _going?" the boy demanded.

Weiss looked at him as though he were a complete idiot. "Don't you think it would look strange if I showed up by myself?" she asked, irritation seeping into her voice. "We're supposed to be courting. We need to be seen together at public events like this."

"And even if that weren't the case," Yoshino spoke up from the sink. "We'd be attending anyway. It's being held downtown, at the Plaza Hotel ballroom. Svernare has invited our family as his personal guests."

Kyousuke groaned, but nodded reluctantly. "Well, at least I'm getting a heads-up this time," he muttered, sending his mother a look. "Yeah, I can dance. It's a required part of the program at Signal."

"Good," Weiss nodded, throwing a smug look at the fuming blonde. "The gala will be multi-purposed. It serves as a birthday party for my father, a formal announcement of our courtship and a congratulatory celebration for our enrollment at Beacon. Quite a bit of attention will be placed on us, so you'll need to be on your best behavior."

"How many people will be there?"

"Hundreds, easily," she answered. "Mostly my father's business associates and their families."

"And they'll all be gawking at us?" the boy groaned yet again. "Perfect. Anybody in particular I should keep an eye out for?"

"No, not really," Weiss paused. "Just… my sister, I suppose."

"I didn't know you had a sister," Kyousuke remarked, surprise coloring his tone.

"Oh, great," Yang sighed. "There are more of you?"

The white-haired princess sent her a nasty glare. "We aren't… the closest of siblings."

"I can relate," the boy sighed. "Alright. So, I need to dance and keep an eye out for your sister? Anything else I should know?"

"Nothing you really need to worry about," Weiss said. "We'll arrive, eat a light dinner, toast to my father's health. Then, I'll open the dancing with a short vocal performance-"

"Wait, vocal performance?" Ruby asked in surprise. "You're gonna sing?"

"Yes," the heiress nodded. "It's a tradition my mother started nearly twenty years ago."

"Your mother was a singer, too?" Kyousuke questioned.

"She was a small-time singer," Yoshino explained as she re-entered the room. "I knew her from school. One night, I took Svernare out to the bar where she performed. It was love at first sight. And the rest… well, you can see where it led."

"Whoa… That's so... _romantic_..." Yang murmured, slightly impressed.

"A pauper getting swept off her feet by a prince!" Ruby agreed enthusiastically. "Just like a fairy tale!"

Weiss nodded, a sad smile forming on her face. "She would sing all the time," the white-haired girl said softly. "One of my earliest memories was of her singing to me. It's why _I_ love to sing."

"Wow," Kyousuke murmured. "Seems there's… a _lot _I don't know about you."

"Well, you've got four years to learn," Weiss chuckled. Kyousuke returned it.

Yoshino watched, a small smile on her face. "Weiss," she said, after several moments. "About your mother… I think I have something you'd be interested in. Kyousuke, come help us. Yang, Ruby, I'm sorry, but..."

"It's fine, Mrs. K," Yang smiled slightly. "We've got some unpacking to do, anyway."

"This is… odd," Weiss frowned. "I thought you'd be up in arms about me being alone with your childhood friend."

"Let's just say that I know what it's like," the blonde explained quietly. "To crave information about someone you never had the chance to know." She nodded at them before tapping Ruby on the shoulder.

The two sisters left them and made their way upstairs. Yoshino nodded and gestured for the two remaining teens to follow.

* * *

"The old storage shed?" Kyousuke grunted as he forcibly pried the door open. "When's the last time anyone went in here?"

"It's been a while," Yoshino agreed as the trio entered the old building.

"There's dust _everywhere_," Weiss complained.

"Yeah, that happens when no one cleans a building in a few years," the black-haired teen quipped, wincing as she slapped him on the shoulder.

"Hm," Yoshino hummed as she scanned the rows of shelves. "It should be here somewhere…"

"What are we looking for, Mom?" Kyousuke questioned.

"A small box," she murmured. "It should say her name on it…"

Weiss perked up. "Yuki…?"

"That's your mom's name?" the black-haired boy asked. The heiress nodded and she, too began to search.

Kyousuke turned to the row of shelves beside him, trying to see through the layer of dust that had built up over the years. Among the various knickknacks laying around, locating a small box was proving to be a daunting task.

However, after nearly thirty minutes, Weiss spoke up. "What is this?"

Kyousuke turned to see her staring up at a white case, a foot or so beyond her reach. On the box, he could see a single character written in black ink.

"That's the kanji for snow," he told her. On the other side of the room, Yoshino's eyes widened.

"That's it!" she exclaimed, startling both teens. "Yuki means _snow!_ That's the box we're looking for!"

Kyousuke strode over and grabbed hold of the case, carefully lowering it to the ground. Weiss gently tugged the box open, revealing its contents.

It was by no means a treasure trove. Inside were a handful of books. Journals, it looked like. Sitting on top of the pile was a small photo album. Also packed inside the box were a few knickknacks and memorabilia, like a harmonica and an ice skating-figurine.

The white-haired heiress picked up one of the journals and flipped it open. Kyousuke watched as her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I… can't read any of this…" she murmured.

"They're mostly written in Japanese, I'm afraid," Yoshino spoke up, smiling softly. "That's why I asked Kyousuke to come. I thought the two of you could work together in translating them."

Weiss looked up at him with a hopeful glint in her eyes. Honestly. She expected him to say no?

"I will," he nodded. The girl smiled gratefully before replacing the journal and picking up the photo album. She flipped it open and on the very first page was a photo of a stunning white-haired woman smiling at the camera.

"That's her…" Weiss said softly.

"You look just like her," Kyousuke remarked.

"That's what my father always tells me," she chuckled. Neither of them noticed Yoshino quietly slip out of the room. Weiss flipped the page to see a photo featuring younger versions of both her mother and father. Both of them had an embarrassed look on their face as they yelled at whoever was taking the picture.

Kyousuke had a sneaking suspicion that it had been his mother. His suspicion was confirmed when, in the next picture, Yoshino was shown sitting with a large lump on her head and Weiss' mother standing above her, a smug look on her face.

The heiress turned the page and - to Kyousuke's surprise - found a photo of two toddlers playing together. One had dark, black hair, the other had snow-white hair.

"Hah," the boy chuckled. "I guess we really _were _childhood friends."

Weiss smiled slightly and turned the page. Kyousuke noticed something fall out of the album, but his attention was drawn to the new photograph. It was noticeably older than the others and slightly frayed at the edges.

It featured Weiss' mother wearing a stunning dress, standing on a small stage singing into a microphone.

"I can see why your father fell head over heels for her," he said. "She was gorgeous."

The girl nodded, smiling. Kyousuke turned his attention to the object that had fallen out of the album. It was a small, folded sheet of paper. Its slightly yellow appearance gave him an idea of how old it was. Kyousuke reached down and picked it up, carefully unfolding it as he did so.

"Weiss…" he murmured. The heiress turned to him. She raised an eyebrow at the paper in his hands before gently taking it.

"It… It's a song," she said softly. "It's a song written by my mother."

Kyousuke read the sheet over her shoulder. "It looks like a ballad," he remarked. "The lyrics are in broken English, though."

"That makes sense," Weiss muttered, her eyes scanning over the piece. "She didn't speak English very well when she immigrated…"

"It was on the same page as the photo," he pointed out. "Take a look at the date. Does it mean anything to you?"

The white-haired girl did so and her eyes widened in realization. "T-This is the year my parents met," she whispered. "She must have wrote this for my father. I can't believe this has been here all this time..."

Kyousuke stared at the music sheet for several moments, before something clicked in his head. "Weiss," he exclaimed, startling the girl. "This is it!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your gift for your father," Kyousuke elaborated. "You should sing this for him at the gala!"

Weiss stared at him for a minute before her face broke out into a smile. "You're a genius," she exclaimed.

"We just need to clean up the lyrics a little…"

"No," she shook her head firmly. "My mother poured her heart into these lyrics. It doesn't matter if they're imperfect."

Kyousuke was silent for several moments before nodding. "You're right," he said. "And that's what makes it the perfect gift."

"I'll need to start preparing," Weiss muttered. "I have to contact the band that will be performing with me. I was originally going to sing one of my own songs. We'll have to make some adjustments… I'll need to start practicing right away..."

"Well, maybe I can help with that," he said, picking up the harmonica from her mother's box. "That first note looks like a _G_."

"You can read music?" she asked in surprise.

Kyousuke nodded. "Kirino and I both took piano lessons when we were kids," he explained. "Never really panned out, but I can read decently enough."

"Hmm," Weiss hummed, looking at him thoughtfully. "It seems there's quite a bit I still don't know about _you_, as well."

"Well, you have four years to learn," he chuckled. Weiss smiled at him.

"Hmph, well, the first note is a _G_." Kyousuke blew on the harmonica and Weiss began to sing in a soft voice.

"_Whenever sang my songs…"_

* * *

"Well," Daisuke said as he looked around the surprisingly in-tact dining room. "Seems that the house is still in-tact."

"Just what do you take us for, Mr. K?!" Yang demanded indignantly from where she and Ruby were helping Yoshino prepare dinner.

"A group of irresponsible, hormonal teenagers carrying a myriad of dangerous weaponry," the policeman said.

Seeing that none of them were willing to look him in the eye, he nodded in satisfaction.

Kyousuke sat, sipping his favorite barley tea as he soaked in the - for the most part - relaxing atmosphere. It seemed that the girls had come to an understanding of sorts or at least called a temporary ceasefire.

Beside him, Weiss was humming her mother's song quietly to herself while Kirino flipped through a fashion magazine across from them. Perhaps things would finally begin to calm down around here. Kyousuke certainly hoped so.

"So, blondie," Kirino spoke up, drawing their attention. "How's it feel to be _second _for once?"

Kyousuke had no idea what she was talking about, but he certainly didn't like her tone. Yang, however, seemed to understand perfectly.

"What are you talking about?" she scoffed, staring at Kirino's… chest? "Did you grow an inch or something?"

"I'm not talking about me," his sister chuckled. "I'm talking about Ice Queen."

"Why does everyone call me that?" Weiss demanded.

"You're kidding, right?" Yang laughed. "She's a washboard."

"She wears a corset," Kirino said, her voice deadly serious.

Suddenly, Kyousuke realized what they were talking about.

"Oh, no…" he whispered.

"Serious…?" the blonde questioned, her face set into a hard line. Kirino nodded solemnly. Slowly, Yang turned to Weiss, who froze at the look on the blonde's face.

"W-Why are you looking at me like that…?" the heiress asked nervously as Yang began stalking towards her. "S-Stay back!"

"Sorry, Princess, but I gotta see this for myself…"

Kyousuke sighed, slowly sinking into his seat and lowering his head into his folded arms. It seems he'd spoken up too soon. It was times like this that made him honestly think he would be better off at Beacon. Surely, things would calm down there, right?

"G-Get away! Unhand me at once! S-Someone stop her!"

Kyousuke sighed once more. He could only hope...

* * *

**A/N: A shorter chapter than the last one. Mostly to set the stage and give information on a few things that will be taking place in a few chapters. **

**As I said at the start of the chapter, I retconned Weiss' mother's name from "Bianca" to "Yuki". I felt it was more fitting.**

**Kuroneko and Saori should be in the next chapter.**

**Also, in the "White" Trailer, Weiss is shown singing Mirror, Mirror in front of an audience. In my fic, this will be at the gala.**

**And yes, Kyousuke taking piano lessons at as a kid was totally a reference to Piano Squall.**

**Better pictures of Kirino's weapon are up on the site. An article on it is under "Weapons", too.**

**Not much happened in this chapter. But, hey, at least it didn't take months to update.**

**By the way, did you know that my original concept for a RWBY/OreImo crossover was much… darker? My original idea was more of an urban fantasy setting. Like Fate/stay Night - to those familiar with the series.**

**The Hunters acted from the shadows of the world, destroying Grimm before the general populace discovered them. I quickly realized that I had no idea how to make that work convincingly, so I dropped it.**

**Here's an excerpt from my original:**

_"Oi, Manami. Are we walking home together today?"_

_"A-Ah, sorry, Kyou-chan. Buchou-san wants me to help out after school today."_

_It was an ordinary conversation between two ordinary students. One was a black-haired young man, wearing a plain white polo-shirt and gray slacks. The other was a brown-haired girl wearing a feminine version of the boy's school uniform; a gray miniskirt being the only true difference between the two._

_It was an ordinary conversation between students. But if one paid attention, they could detect the underlying exhaustion in the boy's voice._

_"Ah, I see…"_

_"Ano… Kyou-chan?" the girl, Manami, questioned hesitantly. "Are you okay?"_

_"Eh?" the boy, Kyousuke, exclaimed nervously. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."_

_"You've been tired all day," Manami said sternly. "Did you get enough sleep last night?"_

_"Ah, I've was busy doing our English report, hahaha…"_

_"Kyou-chan…" the brunette murmured. "We… didn't have an English report."_

_"Oh, w-we didn't?" Kyousuke stammered nervously. "Ahaha, I actually meant… Oh! Look at the time!" he suddenly exclaimed, glancing at the clock. "I have to get home early today, so if you've still got stuff to take care of, I'll be going then!"_

_"E-Eh, but-" Manami attempted to stop him, but he was already out the door before she could get up. "Bye, I guess…"_

* * *

_"Idiot…" Kyousuke muttered to himself as he left the school grounds. "**That **certainly wasn't suspicious. Sorry, Manami, but… I don't think either of us could handle me telling the truth..."_

_The truth was, he'd spent the night being forced to play eroge with his little sister, but there was no way he could admit that!_

_"Honestly… the things I do for normalcy…"_

_From almost any perspective, Kousaka Kyousuke could only be described as normal. His looks were average. He got average grades. His athletic skills were average. And his day-to-day life could only be described as average._

_So why was such an average boy so obsessed with normalcy?_

_The truth is; he didn't always used to be so normal. In his earlier years, he was always the top of his class in school. He used to be the star runner of his school's track team. And he would always be the first to volunteer whenever something came up. He was the model student._

_But that still doesn't answer the question: Why was he so obsessed with normalcy?_

_Perhaps it was because –_

_"Oh, give me a break…" Kyousuke muttered. "Right now…? You have to be joking."_

_The black-haired boy clenched his fist and his entire body went tense. He could feel the shadows closing in around him._

_Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it), he had been taking a shortcut through a secluded section of the park. He quickly ducked into a nearby copse of trees and out of sight._

_"Alright then, punks," the boy muttered. "Come and get me."_

_As though waiting for his cue, the surrounding shadows began to distort and take shape. All around him, grotesque creatures that vaguely resembled wolves appeared, snarling at him._

_Without warning, one of the creatures leapt at him, forcing the black-haired boy to jump aside. He then brought up his leg and roundhouse kicked the beast in the back. The beast let out a sharp yelp as it was sent flying into a nearby tree with a sickening **crack**._

_Eyes wide, Kyousuke looked up to see two more beasts charging at him. Glancing to his left, he saw a large branch that had fallen off a nearby tree. Snatching it, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath._

_The moment he heard one of the creatures leap at his throat, his eyes snapped open. In an instant, he raised the branch, a noticeable blue aura being emitted from the object, and used it to slice the creature in half._

_It was ugly. He had no form whatsoever and as a result, the creature's blood and internal organs began to spray all over him. Kyousuke grimaced. That's what he gets for having no formal training._

_Indeed. His skill came not from rigorous training or other such nonsense. No. His skill came from years upon years of fighting for his life._

_Breathing heavily, he glared his opponents down._

_Unknown to him, two figures stood in the distance, carefully observing the battle._

_"So, this is the boy?" a tall, blonde-haired woman questioned, adjusting her eyeglasses. A long, violet cloak hung from her shoulders._

_Beside her stood a middle-aged man with tousled gray hair and thin brown eyes. He, too, wore a pair of glasses and had a dark-green scarf wrapped around his neck._

_"Indeed, he is," the man hummed as he watched with interest. "I'd say our informant was on to something."_

_"His form is shoddy at best," the woman sniffed. "Hardly Huntsman material."_

_"True, his form could use some work," he admitted. "But… we can fix that."_

* * *

**If you're interested in taking the idea up, I highly encourage you to do so!**

**Anyway, be sure to leave a comment below and, as always, thanks for reading!**

**Your King**


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